Beautiful Mistakes
by Pizzacake
Summary: Only once in a lifetime you come across your soul-mate


**NEW YEARS EVE**

It's funny how we're told from a young age that you should be thankful for what you have because others have it worse than you. If you were to say this to Cindy Walker, she'd say "then that means I can't be happy because there's someone out there who has it better." That, ladies and gentleman, is Cindy Walker. The girl who has a knack to answer anything and everything. And that's exactly what she said to her father, or something along those lines, upon discovering a nasty scab on her arm. "Why is it always me that has nasty marks to make my skin look grosser than it already does?" she asked her dad while examining the scab on her elbow. It was 11:30 in the morning and Gary was making Cindy's favourite breakfast; scrambled eggs and turkey sausages, for Cindy who had just woken up. "Cindy, stop complaining about little things. Just think, this very minute, somewhere in the world, someone's just been diagnosed with a terminal illness, or…I dunno, a puppy's being kicked." Cindy looked at him with a bewildered look. "That can't be any worse than having Cindy as a name." Her father sighed. "Cindy, someone will always have it worse than you, so stop being ungrateful." As soon as Gary set the plates down, Cindy started to gobble her sausages in an unlady-like manner. "You know Dad, it really bugs me when people say that." She said, while chewing a whole sausage in her mouth. "That's like saying I can't be happy because there's someone out there who's happier than me." She spat bits of sausages out. "Cindy, please act like a lady and chew your food with your mouth closed before speaking." Cindy gulped her sausage down. "Excuse me, but I'm very lady-like. And I'm NOT being ungrateful." She took a sip of orange juice. "Dad, there're like, a million names in the world, why did you give a stupid name"

"Cindy's a wonderful name"

"It's horrible and old-fashioned…sounds like something you'd name a Barbie…"Gary laughed. "It's not funny dad!"

"Oh grow up Cindy" he joked. "Why don't you clean up after breakfast? You look like death"

"I feel like it too" she mumbled under her breath. "Anyway, it's not my fault I wake up with a new hairstyle every morning…" Cindy liked to believe her pillow was a hairstylist because of this.

"Did you sleep okay? I'm concerned because you're all snappy"

"I'm a lady. It's our morning emotion. But yeah I slept okay" she lied. Cindy didn't sleep okay. She was awake all night thinking about this time last year, and how she felt like strangling her mom. Evie Young-Walker was nothing special, like every other ordinary woman really, but to Gary she was his world. They married and she bore him their first and only child, Cindy. She was more of a hassle than Evie first thought. And when it was Cindy's 1st birthday, Evie vowed to stick by Gary and be the best she mother she could. But she never stuck to that. Because exactly a year ago from today, on New Year's Eve, Evie left. She didn't explain why, she never even said goodbye to Cindy, she just left. Cindy thought it was because her dad had lost a very highly paid job. Gary was the manager of what used to be a very successful steelworks industry. But the factory went bust when the company they were working for was shut down due to not making enough money. When Evie found out, she left the following morning. Ever since then, Gary's been working as a humble librarian at Ohio State Library, earning minimum wage, barely scraping enough to put food on the table. But Cindy never thought of her mom as a gold digger, right? She had her reasons for leaving and kept it quiet from Cindy only to protect her. Cindy liked that explanation a lot better. To Cindy, it was very strange that all happened a year ago when it just seemed like yesterday.

"Cindy…is something up?" Gary asked, concerned.

"No" she paused. "Just thinking about what happened a year ago. You know, mom leaving and everything"

"Cindy…"

"Sorry dad" she filled the awkward pause. "Move on, stay strong. I'll stick to that."

Gary smiled. "It's gonna get better, I promise you." He looked at the clock. "Shit. Gotta make my way to work."

"Tut tut. Working on New Year's Eve and you didn't even get to finish breakfast"

Gary sighed. "Just my life."

"I promise there'll be a nice roast waiting for you when you get home." Gary smiled a very warm smile, and then proceeded his way upstairs to get ready for work. As Cindy cleared the table, she thought about what her father had once told her. "Always be grateful for what you have, because you never know the value of it 'til it's been taken away from you." As that saying echoed in her head, she imagined a terrible life without her dad.

**NEW YEARS DAY**

Waking up with a loud bang ringing in your ear isn't the best way to wake up. Cindy jerked upright and squinted towards the hallway, only to see a burly looking figure walking towards her. "Hey kiddo" Gary chirped excitedly. "Get dressed 'cause I'm taking you to watch the local fireworks display at the park, but we need to go to the bank first so I can make a deposit, then I'll take you for lunch afterwards"

"What?" Cindy slurred. She was still half asleep and had no idea what was going on.

"I got my pay-cheque early!" he waved the cheque in front of her face. "Now hurry up or we'll be late"

"I'll just wear my coat" she moaned quietly. She dragged herself up the stairs and to her bedroom. She put her black, mid-length, wavy hair into a messy pony and threw an oversized herringbone coat she received for her birthday not too long ago. 'Hmm…I don't look too bad for someone who's slept for 4 hours and has no makeup on' she thought whilst admiring herself in front of the mirror. 'Maybe I'll just put some lipstick on.' She grabbed a red Chanel lipstick her mom treated her to just before she left. She slapped it on and ran downstairs. Her father was already waiting at the door. "Hurry. I wanna treat you to a meal before the countdown." Cindy smiled and they both headed out the door.

They sat in café Stromberg waiting for their order. "You must be hungry"

"Dad, honestly, I'm okay. Food's gonna come in a bit anyway. How'd work go?"

Gary gave a sarcastic chuckle. "How much fun can work get at an almost empty library?"

Cindy smiled a sad smile. "Dad, when it's 11:11pm, promise me you'll make a wish that'll change our year for the better."

"Only if you promise to do the same" He held out his pinky and Cindy sealed the promise.

The park was crowded with people. Parents, kids, aunts and uncles, all stood outside in the freezing cold, wrapped up warm, to watch the New Year's countdown firework display. "I'm gonna be disappointed if Miley Cyrus doesn't come out on a wrecking ball when the New Year's ball drops."

Gary laughed. "Wow, real laughing feels strange"

"You know dad, I never say this but…thank you. For everything. I know it's not been easy for you but… I've really appreciated everything you've done for me up until this point. I love you"

"I love you too kiddo." Cindy looked around her. The view was spectacular. The whole town lit up, every building illuminated. Some people still had their Christmas decorations up. There was a thin blanket of frost on the grass they stood on, but Cindy trusted her Converse would keep her from slipping. Gary looked at his watch. "We've got about 20 minutes so, d'ya maybe wanna go for a walk around or something?" Gary asked.

"Sure. I mean I'm claustrophobic but I don't mind having a panic attack while walking through a massive crowd of people. Ooh and maybe after that we could actually socialise so I can have another breakdown."

"Hey! Don't get sassy" Gary warned.

"Sorry. But you should know that sarcasms the body's defence against stupidity"

"You calling me stupid?" Gary asked defensively. Cindy looked at her dad and smiled. She was about to reply but before she could a loud bell rang somewhere in the crowd.

"Food and beverages! Get your food and beverages here!" the man yelled, still ringing the bell.

"D'ya want coffee?" Gary asked.

"Something to eat possibly? Stromberg didn't fill me up."

"Ok." Gary went to get some food. Halfway there, he turned around and shouted "don't think you've avoided the question missy!" Cindy laughed.

"No!" she shouted back, laughing. "You're definitely not." Gary had a massive grin plastered on his face. He stuck a thumb up and turned around to get the coffee, his scruffy brown hair blowing in the wind.

"1 MINUTE UNTIL IT'S THE NEW YEAR!" the oracle speaker on stage boomed through the microphone. Cindy looked around. "Looks like everyone's getting ready for that New Year's kiss"

"Hey who needs a stupid kiss when you've got your good ol' daddy!" Gary joked. Cindy hugged him.

"Ah, I just can't believe it's been a year since I didn't become a better person" Cindy kidded. Gary chuckled.

"10…9…8…7…" Everyone joined in with the countdown. "6…5…4…3…2…1." A massive explosion of fireworks blew in the air. "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" The crowd cheered. They laughed, threw their hands in the air, toasted and obviously, kissed. Cindy got on her tiptoes and pecked her father on the cheek. They watched the marvellous display of fireworks. The sky was filled with colours of blue, green, yellow, orange and every other colour you can think of.

"Happy New Year dad!" Cindy chimed loudly.

"Happy New Year!" He shouted back. They watched the fireworks and wished for this year to be good to them.

**VALENTINES DAY**

Frank Sinatra played in the background. The round table with its white velvet cloth had rose petals scattered over it. Gary poured half a bottle of Bollinger Blanc De Noirs in Evie's glass. "Erm, I really don't think that's a good idea Gareth."

"Oh lighten up Evie! What's the worst that could happen?" Gary insisted.

"Gareth I have something I need to tell you." The smile from Gary's face vanished. He cleared his throat. "Erm, okay. Is, er, everything ok?" He asked nervously. He rubbed his sweaty palms on his suit trousers.

"Gareth…"

"Was it that present I got for you last week for your birthday?" Gary babbled. " 'Cause I thought you'd find the joke funny but if that's not it then-" Evie cut him off, but Gareth kept on blathering. "It was that joke I told you yesterday wasn't it? Look _I'm _in the kitchen half the time!" he exclaimed. He took a swig of the Bollinger Blanc and cleared his throat again.

"GARETH." Evie ordered authoritatively. "I'm pregnant."

Gary's eyes widened. "What?" he mouthed.

"I found out last week." Evie figured it's been a hard night and that she deserved a break, for she downed the whole glass of Bollinger in one go. Gareth looked everywhere but Evie. "I want an abortion" she murmured quietly, barely audible, but audible enough for Gary to freak out.

"What?!" he cried. He had a very angry expression on his face. "This is a life you're talking about Evie..do you _want _to be a murderer?" Now it was Evies turn to be angry.

"Oh how very Christian of you Gareth! Don't use that bullshit on me." Tears swelled in her eyes, and the colour drained from her face.

"Evie…" Gareth trailed off.

Her voice was high pitched. "Gareth I…I can't look after this baby!" Tears were strolling down her cheeks. Her eyes were red and her voice was becoming more high pitched with every octave. "Do I look fit to be a mother Gareth?" Her voice was low and she was deadly serious.

"Evie, shh!" Gareth calmed her down. He tugged a strand of her curly brunette hair behind her ear. He reached out and gently placed his hand on her fragile, unstable hands. "I'm not in this alone, am I?" Her lips quivered as she whispered quietly. Gary shook his head. "I promise you, I will put everything I have into giving our child the best upbringing possible"

"Promise me you'll be there for me?" she spoke very quietly.

"I promise."

'Under The Sea' blasted from the TV. Cindy was having a Disney Movie Marathon and Little Mermaid was now playing. She lay on the couch in an oversized white V-neck t-shirt and baggy grey jogging pants, her thick HUF socks keeping her feet warm. Her usually neat silky jet black hair looked like it had been dragged through a bush today. She sat in a dim room with about 20 candles lit around her. The mustard from the burger she was eating from was smothered all around her mouth. Cindy heard the door slam shut and her father emerged with a big grin on his face. "Hey" Cindy said, sitting upright. "You ok?"

"Apart from the fact you look an absolute mess and with your attention span this house could've burned down in minutes, I'm ecstatic!"

Cindy laughed. "Well since you're the bearer of good news…"

"I GOT A NEW JOB!" He cheered, punching the air with excitement. Cindy squealed and jumped up to hug him.

"Congratulations! Where're you working? How'd you get it?" Cindy asked eagerly.

Gary led her to the couch and they both sat down.

"I was working my shift at the library as usual, when this woman comes up to me and says to me that she recognises me as the manager of ForgeMasters! Turns out I used to work with her dad and apparently I did him a favour by telling him to quit his job! Anyway, he invested in this business and it was such a success and now, well, now he's a _millionare_! And guess who he wants as managing director? ME!"

"Ah dad I'm so proud!"

"Kiddo, be proud of Lindsay Lopez for giving me the job. Anyway, you can buy yourself a nice Chanel or Mac or whatever lipstick instead of America's finest mustard sauce." Cindy rolled her eyes and wiped the mustard off with her arm.

"Cindy…I want you to work hard, ok? Promise me you'll work hard, because for some reason, I got lucky. And it's not healthy to rely on luck." He opened the bottle of scotch on the coffee table and took a few gulps from it. "Ahhh Valentine's Day…or as I like to call it, Friday." He took a few more gulps. "Why do I need a woman when I just earned myself a highly paid job." He looked up and toasted to God like the devoted Christian he was. He took another swig, then gave it to Cindy to drink. "Cindy, sweetie, aren't you doing anything for Valentines' Day?" he asked.

Cindy scoffed. "Dad, I'm just waiting until tomorrow so I can buy the 75% clearance chocolate for myself at Target"

Gary laughed. "You know, Cindy, this time 15 years ago your mother told me she was pregnant with you" Gary slurred.

Cindy downed the remainder of the drink, then lay the empty bottle to one side. "Oh really? What a great Valentines present that must've been."

"Nah. That same day she told me I looked like Matt Damon. Sorry kiddo but you were second best" he joked. Gary liked to joke when he was drunk, even though his jokes were lame. Cindy laughed…and laughed…and laughed until she was howling like a hyena with laughter. Her father snored loudly on the couch, his head drooping to one side, resting on his shoulder. Cindy got up and grabbed the big, furry blanket on the floor. She tucked him in it and threw herself back on the couch. "Happy Valentine's Day dad" she said as she clicked rewind until 'Under The Sea' was booming out of the TV again.

**PANCAKE DAY**

March the 4th could not have been a worst time for Cindy. I guess you could say Cindy is just not a pancake person. You could also say she's anti-social. _Very _anti-social. For every year when Pancake Day arrives, Cindy's school hosts a pancake party which, unfortunately for Cindy, means socialising with students in her year.

"Ok dad, I'm off now. Keys are under the mat as usual"

"You sure you wanna go?"

"I have to…anyway I got those Swedish cream pancakes you left for me on the counter so…I guess I'll sell these, then just sit on the side-lines and watch everyone have friends."

"I'll order us a Chinese when you get back, ok?"

"Thanks dad. See you in about 2 hours?"

"Yeah. See ya'"

"Bye." Cindy cut the call and put her phone in her jeans pocket. 'Ok Cindy' she thought. 'Get ready to have a mental breakdown.' She walked out of the house and closed the door behind her.

Cindy stood at the entrance of the Main Hall holding a baby blue box full of cream pancakes. 'Brace yourself Cindy' she kept telling herself. It was safe to say she hated people. Just as she was about to walk in to the death trap that was school, she heard a high pitched squeal echoing through the corridor. Cindy turned around, only to find herself face-to-face with Bronwyn King. Bronwyn was known to be a ray of sunshine. Rarely was she ever miserable. And even when she was, she would hide it with a watery smile. But she wasn't the comfortable kind of happy. Cindy found her to be rather clingy and annoying. She bared a striking resemblance to Charlotte LaBouf from 'The Princess and the Frog.' Her voice was even the same as hers. "Er…Charlotte, you ok?" Cindy asked rather uncomfortably.

"Cindy, you don't look in the spirit for this!"

Cindy pulled a disgruntled look. "Please spread your happiness somewhere else" she said, sounding bored.

"Oh Cindy! Bet you won't be sad when I tell you this." She motioned for Cindy to come closer so she could whisper to her. Cindy did, somewhat reluctantly. "I'm going out with Principal Mϋller's son." Cindy gasped. "No way!" Bronwyn nodded excitedly. "Is he here now?"

"Of course! You see Principal Mϋller standing at the food table with those boys?" Cindy nodded slowly. "Well the guy standing on his left is who I'm going out with. His name's Eric." Cindy's eyes scanned for Eric. Too many boys were crowded around him, but she finally spotted him. And she liked what she saw. Bronwyn suddenly grabbed Cindy's arm and said "I want to introduce you to him."

Cindy shook her head vigorously. "Bronwyn, no." She was already dragging her towards him. "Bronwyn . We're not even friend s!"

"Sure we are!" she cried excitedly. The boys had gone now, so Eric was alone. "Heya honey!" she squealed.

"Oh hey Brownie." Cindy gagged a little in her head. She hated sweet coupley names. Eric wrapped his rather muscular arms around Bronwyn. "You look beautiful by the way" he said, as he eyed her up and down. Cindy couldn't disagree, she definitely looked nice tonight. Her blonde hair was curled elegantly and she looked gorgeous in her baby pink, silky body-con dress. Bronwyn giggled in her usual annoying manner. "Hi" he said, finally spotting Cindy standing behind 'Brownie.' "I'm Eric. He smiled, sticking his hand out for Cindy to shake.

"Hi. Cindy's the name" she replied nervously. She sealed the handshake and they held hands for an unacceptably long amount of time. Bronwyn coughed to get them out of their trance, then held Eric's muscular arm protectively. Of course, Bronwyn had no reason to be jealous. Cindy was hardly dressed for the occasion. She wore her oversized signature white V-neck shirt, with black skinny jeans and all black Converse. The only bit of make-up she wore was her red Chanel lipstick. Eric, on the other hand, looked very attractive in a crisp white shirt and suit trousers.

"I like your name, by the way" he said, trying to cover up the awkwardness hanging in the atmosphere.

"Thanks" Cindy replied. "I got it for my birthday."

Eric smiled. "So…what brings you here?" Cindy asked casually.

"Just helping my dad out with this fundraiser/party thing." His voice was deep but calm. He looked at Cindy's box and asked her if she was selling pancakes too, but before Cindy could answer, she was interrupted by Eric greeting a Middle-Eastern looking kid who emerged from behind her. "Hey! How's it going?" he asked. The kid looked rather uncomfortable as Eric hugged him. 'Maybe he just has a knack for hugging people' Cindy thought. 'Just not me.' Eric opened the box of pancakes the kid gave to him. Cindy guessed he already liked what he saw as he offered the kid cash up front. "For you Brownie" he said whilst giving her the box of pancakes.

She shrieked with excitement. "You're so sweet!"

"Anyway, um, great meeting you Cindy. Hope to see you again sometime yeah?" Cindy nodded slightly. Eric went and hugged her rather tightly. Cindy felt a strange tingle run through her body and hugged him back rather half-heartedly. "Great seeing you too, kiddo" he said while scruffing the kids hair. He and Bronwyn left them together. "So," Cindy turned to him. "What's your name? " The boy just stood and looked at her. "Hmm…a mute are you?" she asked while rubbing her chin to the point where it looked idiotic. The kid looked the complete opposite to Eric. He had jet black hair that was neatly combed to one side (which Cindy assumed he tidied himself after Eric messed his hair up) and dark brown eyes, unlike Eric who had striking blue eyes and brown hair which was all over the place. And unlike Eric who had fair skin, his friend had a healthy, glowing tan. Cindy tapped him on the back. "Having a friend who doesn't talk just might be what I need in my pathetic life" she said with a hint of sarcasm. "I'm gonna call you Boy, ok?" He just blinked at her. Little did Cindy realise Boy was going to have such a big impact on her life.

**ST. PATRICKS DAY**

"That's $5.98 please" the cashier chirped. 'It's half 10…why the hell is she so happy?' Cindy thought while rummaging through her pocket to find the $10 her dad gave her. "$4.02 change. Thank you for shopping here! Have a nice day!"

"Have a nice day!" Cindy mimicked the cashier under her breath. "Don't tell me what to do." Cindy was not in the best of moods. She woke up at 10 am, which was early for her. She felt cranky and annoyed so Gary sent her out to treat herself to some candy. In fact, she was in such a bad mood that she couldn't even be bothered to change. She walked out in her pyjamas-her signature plain white oversized V-neck white t-shirt, tartan pyjama bottom and Nike running trainers, no red lipstick. Her hair was all over the place. She was too tired to do her hair up. And her bed breath…urgh. As Cindy was walking back home, she heard a loud wolf whistle behind her. She turned around only to hear a disgusted grunt from none other than Eric. And of course, his little friend, Boy, was with him too. Though he didn't say anything. "Hey! Eric, right?" Cindy shouted.

"Yup. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes Cindy" he joked. She wished she could say the same to him…except she couldn't. He looked simply delightful in a crisp white Ralph Lauren polo, black skinnies and black Converse. His hair was tousled and messy, and his eyes shined even brighter. Compared to Eric, Boy looked like a shaved chicken. "Do you ever dress nicely or…?" Eric asked as he examined Cindy from head to toe.

"Eric, I can barely be bothered to put on pants let alone make the effort to look good."

Eric laughed. "You look nice" he lied. "Anyway, I'm on my way to Bron's so-." Boy shook his head violently. "You don't wanna go?" He asked. He nodded. Cindy laughed. "Erm, Cindy, can he stay with you 'cause…erm, yeah he doesn't want to see Bronwyn."

"Sure. Need someone who I can complain to."

"Thanks Cindy!" Eric kissed her on the cheek. They awkwardly looked at each other for a few seconds, and then he walked off sheepishly. Boy and Cindy were left alone together. "So Boy, you like peanut butter?" He nodded no. "Well tough, 'cause it's all I've got." Boy grinned, and together, they walked back to Cindy's place.

Cindy scoffed on her Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. "Want one?" she offered to Boy with her mouth full, who shook his head. "Oh, right. Already forgot you don't like peanut butter. Well, suit yourself" she shrugged as she wolfed down the last of the packet. She licked her chocolate covered fingers. "Who actually has a proper lunch these days?" She asked. Boy just stared at her. "So…"she started. "Do you actually speak to anyone? Or is it just me you're afraid of?" He looked down. "Hey! I'm just kidding! I prefer people who don't speak…better than having shit come out of their mouth…" He looked up at her and smiled. "You know, it's kinda strange." She stated as she observed her nails. "I know nothing about you apart from the fact you're not a fan of peanut butter, and yet, here you are, sitting in my kitchen when…I dunno, you could be a terrorist for all I know" she joked. She sniggered and her own lame comment. She grabbed the bottle of Dr Pepper on the kitchen table and drank it all in one go, then proceeded to make more terrorist jokes until she saw the look on Boy's face. His dark brown eyes had widened and he looked like he was about to burst into tears. "Hey" Cindy said slowly, quietly. "I'm sorry. I, did I offend you? Are you a victim of terrorism?" Boy stared straight at her, a silent tear strolling down his cheek. "Hey don't cry. Look, how about I treat you to a movie or something, you know, to make up for it? Here's my number, just text me when you're free and we'll hang out, my treat" She re-assured him as she jotted her number down on a sticky note. He looked at it and smiled, then nodded. "Good" she answered. The front door slammed and Gary walked into the kitchen with red eyes. Boy quickly got up, waved the piece of paper with Cindy's number on at Cindy, then made his way out of the house. "Dad you ok?" Cindy asked quietly. She sat him down and it wasn't until she was sat close enough to him that she could see he was crying. He wept into his hands.

"I've only gone and lost my job" he whimpered.

"Oh dad. How the hell did you manage to do that?" Cindy asked, concerned. He looked up at her with sad eyes. "The business is now under new management. I'm guessing there was something about me that bothered him because he fired me without a reason" he said, sobbing into his hand again.

Anger consumed Cindy. "He can't just do that! That's unfair!"

He sniffled, and then wiped a tear off with his hand. "He can. He's the owner. Unfortunately he has the power to do what he wants" Gary spoke coldly. "Bet the loser in me just shone through. Maybe he saw that I was destined for failure. A threat to his business. And that if I kept working there, it was doomed from the start."

"Hey! That's not true!" Cindy cried. Her efforts to console him failed miserably.

"Whatever" he mumbled under his breath. He got up and slowly made his way upstairs to get an early night's sleep. Cindy groaned. She looked up and said "Why?" Why she had that little bit of faith in her was beyond her. All Cindy knew was, if things kept carrying on the way they did today, she might just lose her mind.

The theatre was packed. The queue at the ticket booth was long, and for food it was twice as long. "Do you seriously want to line up in this?" Cindy asked Boy. He looked at her and shrugged. She looked around and let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry Boy, but, I'm just not in the mood." She turned around to exit out of the theatre with Boy following on. He patted her on the back to console her. Cindy gave a weak smile. "He just needs cheering up" she said in sudden realization, like she had just cracked the Da Vinci code. Boy looked at her with a puzzled look. "It's St. Patrick's Day" she said. "I think that's a good enough reason to throw a party." She had a sly smile on her face. "Come on Boy. I need to make a few calls." And with that, they both left.

People were dancing and drunkenly singing to the music booming throughout the house. Every inch of the dinner table in the guest room was filled with cans of beer, bottles of wine, bowls of crisps and various other snacks. Cindy found herself squeezing her way through to the door. How she managed to hear the knock on the door in this noise was beyond her. She opened the door to her very grumpy old neighbour Albert Brewer. "Hey Mr Brewer!" Cindy yelled over the noise.

"I am not here to exchange hi's or hello's! You stop this nonsense immediately!" He yelled back. His Australian accent was more prominent when he shouted.

"Oh relax Albert!" Cindy teased. His eyes were wide with horror. "Come in and have a snack or something!" Before Albert had a chance to express his anger at her, Cindy dragged him in. He struggled to get out of Cindy's grasp.

"Let me go!" He yelled furiously. She locked the door behind her and left Albert to fend for himself. She made her way to the guest room and sat down on the sofa next to Boy. "Not in the party mood hey?" He shook his head as he slurped from his carton of orange juice, his leprechaun hat almost dangling off his head. Cindy looked at the clock hanging on the wall. 'When the hell is he gonna get back?' Cindy thought. Just as she was beginning to question and worry of her dads whereabouts, Gary entered the guest room, looking puzzled, and then irritated when he saw Cindy sit there casually.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" Gary screamed. Cindy's smile vanished when she saw the furious look on her dads face. Boy quickly got up to leave, waving goodbye to Cindy before he exited.

"Dad calm down!" Cindy re-assured. "I threw this party to cheer you up!" Albert came to yell something at Gary.

"OH JUST GET OUT!" he yelled back, pointing to the exit. Albert left murmuring something. "I HAVE JUST BEEN JOB HUNTING BECAUSE WE ARE LIVING OFF THE PITS AND YOU WASTE WHATEVER MONEY WE HAVE TO THROW A STUPID PARTY!" Cindy looked away sheepishly. Gary took a deep breath, and opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth. He looked straight past Cindy. She turned around to see what had caught his attention. Or _who _caught his attention. He was staring at a tall, slim woman with long, wavy and silky strawberry blonde hair. She had an emerald green wrap dress, made of a silk material, baring her slender, delicate arms and legs. Her pale skin glowed and she wore a bold red lip which tied the whole look together brilliantly. The woman was too busy chatting with her friend to notice Gary staring at her with an astounded look. Cindy took a glass of wine from the table and gave it to Gary. "Ok dad-"

"No." Gary interrupted. "I don't want a drink."

"It's not for you" she said. Cindy gave him the drink, then slowly lead him to the woman. He was too busy gawping at her to question what Cindy was doing. When they were about a foot away from her, Cindy pushed Gary into her. There were screams and apologies. Cindy quickly left before her dad could tell her off. Gary apologised over and over again until he realised the woman was staring at him in fascination. "I saw you at the library about, 2 months ago." She said quietly.

"Erm, yeah, I used to work there."

"I've heard so much about you. Erm, obviously good things. You know, back when you worked at ForgeMasters?" she said. He looked at her in confusion.

"How do you know I used to work there?"

"When you were in the local paper! When you donated to that orphanage on Christmas Eve! And bringing up your child on your own." Gary quickly glanced around him to make sure Cindy wasn't near, but she was nowhere to be seen. He turned back to the woman with a smug smile on his face. "Yeah well, it wasn't easy, but the best things in life aren't always easy, you know?"

"I can't imagine it must've been" she replied. She stuck her hand out for him to shake. "Wesley. Erm, Wesley Badger." Gary smiled. He gently took her hand a kissed it softly. "Beautiful name. I'm Gareth Walker. But my dearests call me Gary." She laughed. Cindy watched from the guest room doorway as they held hands for a while, kind of like how she and Eric did. They were talking and laughing, then she saw Wesley write something on his hands. As they waved each other goodbye, Gary 'discreetly' fisted the air. He turned to the doorway to see Cindy standing there, a massive grin on his face. "I love you!" he mimed, first pointing his thumb to himself, than making a heart shape with his fingers, then pointing to Cindy. She repeated it back to him, feeling elated that her dad was happy for once in his life. 'Thank you St Patricks Day' Cindy thought, as she headed through the crowd of drunken people taking shots off of each other's stomach to the kitchen to eat more Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

**MOTHER'S DAY**

It was 9pm and Cindy took a giant slice of pizza. She gave another slice to her dad who was sat next to her on the couch with a massive blanket on. "Nah I'm good thanks. Tryna' lose some weight." Cindy gave him a sceptical look. He gave in. "Oh fine! Last one though!"

Cindy laughed. "Right" she mumbled under her breath.

"Honestly, Cindy, what is it with you and pizza?" Gary said with his mouth full.

"Dad…I'm 95% sure my soul mate is a slice of pizza."

Gary snickered. "Remind me again, why are we watching the Kardashians?"

"'Cause I need someone to laugh at" she replied miserably.

"They're not doing a very good job now are they?" Gary paused. "Hey kiddo…is this because of, you know, tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? What's going on tomorrow? I dunno what you're talking about" Cindy replied in a shifty manner.

"Cindy…" Now it was Gary's turn to look sceptical.

Cindy let out a huge sigh. "Should I visit her?"

Gary looked down. "Do you want to?" Cindy nodded.

"Will it upset you dad? Because if it will I won't go."

"No no it won't. You want to see your mother so…I guess you will." Gary got up and put his half eaten slice of pizza back in the box. "Where're you going?" Cindy asked, looking puzzled.

"Need to get something." Gary headed to the kitchen. 2 minutes later he was back. He sat on the couch and gave Cindy a piece of paper. "This is her address" he spoke rather quietly. "I'm not sure if she still lives there but it's worth checking. I'm afraid I can't take you. I start work at the library tomorrow."

"Oh, um, yeah congrats on that by the way" Cindy murmured quietly. Gary hugged her, and assured her things would get better, but Cindy was doubtful. He then proceeded upstairs for an early night's sleep. Cindy finished the slice of pizza Gary left and continued to watch Kim and Khloe fighting.

Cindy looked down at the scrunched up piece of paper her father gave her as she stood in the lobby of the apartment where her mum could be at this very moment. She walked up to the reception desk. Behind it, a woman who dressed like an air stewardess and had her hair in a neat bun sat typing vigorously on a computer. She looked up and asked "Hello, how may I help you?"

"Erm, I'm here to see Evie Walker" She realised her mum was no longer married to her father so she quickly corrected herself. "I mean, Evie Young."

"I'm going to need some form of identification, please."

Cindy took her library card out of her back trouser pocket and showed it to the woman. "Thank you. Who was it again that you were here to see?"

"Evie Young." The woman typed briskly on the computer. "Uhm, I'm afraid Evie Young moved out 3 months ago."

"Oh." Cindy didn't know whether she felt disappointed or kind of glad. After all, she hadn't seen her Mum in more than a year. "Erm, is it possible if you could tell me where she might be staying now?"

"I'm afraid we don't keep those kinds of records on our system as we have no responsibility for our lodgers once they move out." Cindy nodded in disappointment. "Ok, thanks" she replied quietly. She walked out and let out a big sigh. "Lucky escape mom" she murmured under her breath. She scrunched up the piece of paper and threw it across the road. Cindy squinted at the sign that hung above the entrance of what looked like a public garden. For the first time since arriving here, she realised that was the park she and Gary attended on New Year's Eve. Cindy was scared at the thought that her mum could've been inside watching them while she was out here celebrating. Or even at the park, just a few feet away from them. Her mum was still living here 3 months ago. Cindy crossed the road and entered the grounds, making her way through it. She remembered standing with her dad and crossing her fingers that this year would be her year…_their _year. She squinted in the distance at two people sat comfortably together on a bench in the empty park. The woman rested her head on the man's broad shoulder and the man had his muscular arms wrapped around the woman protectively. For a second she thought it could be her mum. 'Nah…too good to be true' Cindy thought. She walked on anyway to get a closer look, and let out a short gasp. "MOM!" She yelled. The woman sat upright and squinted at Cindy. The man next to her looked confused. She ran closer and hugged Evie, who didn't hug back. "Mom! It's me, Cindy! Happy Mother's Day!"

"Mom?" The guy asked, puzzled. 'He sounds kinda dumb' Cindy thought. He had a very deep, kind of menacing, voice. He looked mighty tough with his lip piercing, bulky build and tattooed body. He had a skin tight t-shirt on which showed off his abs. Evie looked wonderful as usual, her chocolate brown hair framing her face perfectly. Her pale skin glowing. She wore a thick black duffle coat which looked like it cost a few hundred dollars. "Erm, yes. Brian, meet my daughter Cindy" Evie said half-heartedly. Brian looked angry and baffled at the same time. "We've been dating for 3 months and you never told me you had a kid?" He demanded in a rude tone. Cindy looked at her mum with hurtful eyes. "You never told him?" she asked, the hurt in her voice was clear. She was almost on the verge of tears. Evie looked annoyed. "Cindy, I really just did what was best for you."

"By denying my existence?" The hurt turned to anger. She eyed Brian up and down with a disgusted look. She spotted him wearing a Rolex on his rather large wrist. She scoffed. "Now I know what you saw in this troll." Cindy sounded bitter and the resentment in her voice and expression was clear. "Troll?" Brian spoke furiously.

"Oh just go will you! This is exactly why I never came to visit you…" Evie had crossed the line. Cindy was consumed with anger and hurt.

"What kind of a mother are you?" she whispered. "I just wanted to wish you a good Mother's Day and instead I find out you shack up with this ogre for his money." She shook her head in dismay. "Exactly what I thought you were…a gold-digger."

Brian stood up faster than you could say 'dumb' and pushed Cindy. She lost her balance and fell to the ground. She didn't care though. She was upset and mad at her mother's behaviour. Evie loomed over her with a furious expression on her face. Cindy got up and looked straight at her with a livid expression. "You listen you little cow-"

"No you listen!" Cindy seethed. "You are nothing to me, you know that? I shit on the ground walk on. You ever, and I mean _ever _try to see or even contact dad again and I will find you and you'll never see day-light again."

"Ooh daughter of the year giving me empty threats!" Evie said sarcastically. "Oh I'm looking at you now and, honestly, I wish I had gone through with that abortion."

Cindy was taken aback. "Abortion?" she asked, barely audible.

"Oh precious daddy didn't tell you? Thought he wouldn't…that loser always wanted to make himself look good."

"SHUT UP!" She yelled. Cindy held back the urge to punch her mum. Of course, Brian was stood there with a stupid look on his face, trying to take in all of this just like Cindy.

"Your 'lovely' daddy is an emotional blackmailer. Oh those 7 years I left you were some of the best years of my life. 'Daddy' seems to have brought you up as a spoilt little brat."

Cindy lost it. She threw a punch at her mum, then ran off before Brian could do anything. She stopped and looked back to see that Brian was attending to her mums welfare. "I MIGHT BE A SPOILT BRAT BUT AT LEAST IM NOT SOME GOLD-DIGGER!" She screamed furiously. She walked off in the opposite direction, tears strolling down her ice-cold skin.

Cindy lay on the couch staring at the ceiling. A million thoughts ran through her head. Gary entered the living room with a glass of water. He sat next to her on the couch and gave her the cup. "How'd it go then?" he asked, concerned. Something in his gut told him that he already knew what happened. He sat next to her on the couch and gave her the cup. Cindy sat upright and took a sip of water. "I've never loathed anyone more" the coldness in her voice was still clear.

"I was sorta expecting that." He let out a deep breath. "What happened?"

"She made up all this bullshit about you emotionally blackmailing her to stay and look after me."

"Oh same thing she's been telling everyone else then."

"Dad…is it true she wanted an abortion? Because if it is…then, I was just some mistake wasn't I?"

Gary looked at her with hurt eyes. "Don't say that" he whispered.

Cindy was on the verge of tears. "But it's true, isn't it?"

"Look Cindy, your mom, well, she didn't have much confidence. The people in her life put her down a lot and, well, I guess she was right when she thought she'd be a rubbish mother."

He stayed quiet for a minute, and then carried on. "It came as a surprise to both of us. But you know, I managed to talk her out of it in the end. If you're a mistake, then you were a beautiful one. You were a beautiful mistake."

Cindy nodded stiffly. She wiped the unshed tears and downed the rest of her glass of water. "Well she can rot in hell for all I care. Why the hell did she come back anyway?" She spoke very bitterly. Gary looked at her in sorrow. Cindy scoffed. "Needed money, didn't she?"

"Cindy, you need to know that whatever I did, I did for your benefit." Cindy just stared at him. "When you were 7, you're mom came back. She…well, she was homeless and, I told her she could live with us if she agreed to take care of you. I didn't see your mother for what she really was and instead of doing any good, it did more damage."

"How would this have helped me in any way?"

"You needed to know you're mother. You've learned from last year how much grief you feel when you feel like one of your parents didn't care about you."

Cindy hugged her dad. "You're a wonderful dad you know. The best dad in the world."

"Ah I know." Cindy giggled. "So did you do anything else apart from mope over your useless mom today?"

"Hey! I'll have you know I had a horribly busy day converting oxygen into carbon dioxide." They both burst into laughter. Never had Cindy appreciated her dad more than she did now.

**MERRY APRIL FOOLS**

Cindy sat in the cafeteria alone. She was waiting for Boy, and 10 minutes had already passed and here wasn't here. Cindy was worried for about 2 seconds before starting on her lunch without him. Five minutes later, a dinner tray banged on the table. Cindy looked up to see if Boy had finally arrived, however, she was disappointed to see it was Bronwyn instead. Strangely, she wasn't her usual perky self. She was rather down, and she didn't even try to hide it like she normally would have. "You look upset" she stated in her nasally voice.

"You don't look too cheery yourself. Anyway, I'm just a bit concerned for Boy. He should've been here now."

"Just having a bad day" she shrugged. "Who's Boy?"

"Yeah. That kid I hang out with. And Eric. You know, the one we saw at the pancake party."

"Oh yeah. Why doesn't he speak to you?"

"What the hell d'ya mean by that? He's mute, isn't he?"

"No. He talks to Eric, like, all the time." She spoke very casually, almost pleased. Cindy's heart sank. 'Am I that annoying that he doesn't even want to talk to me?' she thought.

"Anyway" Bronwyn started. "He told Eric, who told me, who's telling you-"

"Can you just get to the point?" Cindy interrupted, sounding very irritated. Bronwyn looked a bit sheepish.

"Well apparently he didn't come to school today because of Stacy's group"

"What's Stacy's group gotta do with anything?" She asked, her mouth full of mash potato.

"Don't you know that he gets bullied by them?"

Cindy gasped in horror. "Bully?!" 'Oh my God' she thought. 'How the hell could I have looked past this?' "What do they pick on him about?" she asked Bronwyn in eagerness.

"I don't know. But it really hurts him."

"And he told Eric about this?"

"I don't think so. I think he just assumed and then eventually got it out of him."

Cindy thought long and hard, and she didn't care if Bronwyn was taken aback. She needed to get to the bottom of this.

"Bronwyn, I need to see Eric."

Bronwyn reacted exactly like Cindy thought. She felt uncomfortable and hesitated before asking why.

"I need to ask him a few things about Boy."

"Ok…but only to help Boy."

'What the hell did she mean by that?' Cindy thought. She took the piece of paper with Eric's address on anyway before making her way out of the cafeteria.

Cindy knocked on the door of Eric's house. She had no idea why she felt like a nervous wreck. Before she could further dwell on it, the door opened with Eric standing in his pyjamas, his hair ruffled and his sparkling blue eyes, glowing in the sunlight. He had a plain white shirt on, blue checked pyjama bottoms and some slippers. "Hey Cindy" he said, with a massive smile plastered across his face. 'Damn' she thought. 'He looks fine in pyjamas.' He could tell she was checking him out. He did like it nonetheless, but he needed to find out what she wanted. "Erm, Cindy?" Cindy snapped out of her trance immediately.

"Er, sorry" she said awkwardly. "Erm, I came here to, er, ask you a few things about Boy. He wasn't at school today, and I was just a bit worried."

"Sure. D'you wanna, erm, come in?"

"Thanks. Is your dad in?"

Eric chuckled. "No, he's coming back from work late today."

"Ok good 'cause that wouldn't be strange." She joked. Eric smiled at her longingly. She broke the eye contact and made her way to the kitchen, Eric following behind her. For some strange reason, she felt safe in his house. He poured her a glass of orange juice. "Sorry, it's all we have."

"It's cool, I like orange juice." He smiled at her. She didn't know whether she liked the way he looked at her or not. Maybe if he was single…

"So, wha'dya need to know?"

"Erm, well, I know about the bullying. I just need to know what's going on because I'm supposed to be his friend and I just feel a little pathetic right now."

Eric exhaled. "I knew you'd come round asking. Look, Boy told me in complete confidentiality. But he told me if you ever came asking that…well, he doesn't want you to worry."

Cindy looked a little grieved. "That's all?"

"Yeah. Well, one more thing…he doesn't wanna tell you 'cause…you're the only friend he really gets and enjoys the company of and, he thinks if he tells you you'll do the same as Stacy."

Now it was Cindy's turn to let out a deep breath. She looked at the ceiling in frustration. "Jeez. What the hell is life? The one best friend you have and he doesn't trust you…"

"Hey it's not like that." His attempt at re-assuring her failed miserably. He put his hand on hers to comfort her. For a long time she let it stay like that. She then quickly got up and left the kitchen, leaving her untouched glass of orange juice, but Eric quickly got up and pulled her closer. Their faces were inches away from each other. "Why are you in such a rush?" he whispered quietly. He loosened his grip and looked down.

"You're with Bronwyn. Whatever the hell happened there…" She was trying to think of something to finish her sentence off, but her mind was in a million different places. "…shouldn't have." She spoke in a low, cold tone.

He looked rather ashamed, than nodded. "You're right" he mumbled. "Cindy _please_ stay away from me. For my sake."

Cindy looked confused and irritated. "What are you talking about?"

"I want to stay a loyal boyfriend so _please _stay away or that's not gonna happen."

Cindy looked at him and gave him a sad smile. "I'm going" she said silently.

She made her way out, Eric following behind her. Their faces were so close, again. "See ya'" he whispered.

"Bye" she replied softly. He smiled at her before she went. She heard the door shut gently behind her. She needed some strong coffee to ease her mind of everything that had just happened, preferably from Café Stromberg.

Cindy entered Café Stromberg. As soon as she walked in, she saw Boy sat in the centre of the room on a table by himself. He had a cup of coffee and caramel shortbread. He looked lonely and a little frightened. "Hey!" Cindy called. He looked up and quickly stood up. She ran to him, and he had no choice but to sit back down. "You know what?" Cindy said angrily. The fury showed in her expression. "I know there's no point in asking you questions 'cause you don't speak…or not to me at least." She grabbed a chair vigorously and sat with him. "Why do you feel the need to run away from me?" Cindy asked her tone calm with a hint of disappointment. "Now I'm gonna ask you this once and once only. And I want the truth, ok?" He nodded forcefully. "Did you skip school because of Stacy and her bitchy friends?" He nodded. She sighed and said, "Boy…I know you talk, well, to Eric anyway. What the hell is she bullying you about?" He carried on looking down. "Come on Boy! I'm not gonna do a Stacy ok? Bullying's not cool." He just sighed and shrugged. "Boy, I'm not forcing you to talk to me…I just don't want you to suffer in silence." The care in her voice was clear. He could tell as he looked up and smiled a thank you. "Hey, it's April Fools tomorrow. How about we really pay them back? Like…to the point where she won't pick on _anyone, _not just you." Boy squinted at her. "I guess you're thinking where the hell I'm going with this right?" He nodded. "I'll go get you a round 2 and something for myself. Meanwhile…" she paused to give him a pen and a scrunched up piece of paper in her pocket. "…you need to come up with some ideas on how we're going to get revenge on them." As she made her way to the counter, she looked back to see Boy scribbling with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Ok, so we agree that number 5 is the one we're gonna do?" Cindy asked. Boy nodded with a cheerful smile. They sat in Stromberg for an hour discussing what they were going to do to Stacy tomorrow. "Cool. I'll make sure to get the stuff ready for tomorrow then." She scrunched up the piece of paper and put it back in her jeans pocket along with the mini pen. Cindy looked at Boy for a minute while thinking about Eric. Boy looked at her with concern. Cindy was dying to ask him something. She plucked up the courage and came out with it. "Boy…does Eric ever talk about me?" Her heart was beating a million paces faster than it should, and sweat was covering every inch of her body. Boy looked at her with guilty eyes. She already knew the answer. "Does he like me? You know, like-like me?" Boy had a hesitant look on his face. Cindy sighed. "We always want the ones we can't have" she murmured, more to herself. Boy looked at her and shook his head violently. "Don't worry" she assured him with a cynical tone. "I'm staying well away from him." She huffed. "What the hell d'you even do with a boyfriend anyway?" Boy laughed. Cindy smiled to herself. "Glad you're happier now." He gave her the same 'thank you' look he gave her when she talked about their devious plan. Before heading out, they went over their scheming plan again to make sure it was on point the next day.

"Is it empty?" Cindy asked. Boy nodded lightly. "Ok. Now we just need to give it to Stacy." She was stood by the lockers with her two-faced friends. Cindy gave the bottle of Cola to Boy and together they approached them. "Hey Stacy!" Cindy called. All her friends turned around and rolled their eyes. "What do_ you_ want?" she sneered.

"Well, it's more about what Boy wants." She replied in a sickly sweet voice.

"Urgh" she groaned in disgust. "You and the Asian hobbit?"

Cindy gave a quick glance at his feet. "So, he might have abnormally large feet…" Boy looked at her with mocked hurt. "…but he wants to make it up to you."

Stacy looked at the bottle of Cola and laughed. "By giving me Cola? How pathetic."

"Hey! It's a free drink…I wouldn't complain…" Cindy said while shaking the bottle to tempt her.

She gave in. "Fine. I don't know what you're up to, but, I do need my Cola." She unscrewed the lid and gulped down half the bottle. Cindy and Boy tried very hard to contain their laughter, and hide the grins on their faces. "Ok, well, um, see ya' round!" Cindy said cheerfully. They turned around and walked away. Only a few steps in and they heard a loud groan. They turned around to see her yellow in the face. They both had sly grins plastered on their faces. She gagged a few times, then ran to the ladies toilet, with Cindy and Boy waiting outside. Stacy opened the partially opened door, and a tiny bucket of vomit fell from the top and all over Stacy. She shrieked and cursed. Cindy and Boy stood there crying with laughter. She struggled to open the door because there was Clingfilm preventing her from opening it any further. Stacy clawed to rip the Clingfilm off, swearing and screaming while ripping it apart. By now, a crowd of about 50 pupils, mostly in Cindy's year, were gathered around the girls' bathroom.

Cindy and Boy walked off, still laughing their heads off. "Putting laxatives in her drink! Where do you come up with this stuff!" They both shrieked with laughter again. "And the Clingfilm…so she couldn't go to the toilet!" They laughed even louder. When they both eventually calmed down, Cindy mentioned the sick in the bucket, which got them riled in laughter again. Boy gave her his 'thanks' look. "No problem Kiddo" she said. She left Boy outside of his classroom, and carried on walking to her class, laughing at the thought of Stacy and her laxatives.

**HAPPY EASTER**

The bell rang to signal the end of the day. Cindy threw her bag on her shoulder and made her way out of class. Stacy walked past her, looking at the floor to deliberately avoid eye contact. Obviously, after embarrassing Stacy, Cindy and Boy got in trouble for what they did. They explained to the principal that Boy was a victim of Stacy's bullying, and as a result of it, was driven to either skip school, or give her a taste of her own medicine. They still served the detention they got, every day after school for a week, along with Stacy. And ever since then, she avoided any form of content with them and everyone else she's picked on. The embarrassment she went through made her stray away from the rest of the year, and now she dodges talking to most people at school.

Cindy waited at the ramps for Boy. That's where she waited every day after school for him so they could walk home together. Boy lived closer to school, so Cindy walked an extra 10 minutes by herself to her house. She saw Boy approaching her from the opposite direction she came in. Because he was in the year below, they had different lessons at different times. The ramp outside of the school was their little meeting spot. They started walking out of the school gates. "So you doing anything for Easter?" Cindy asked. Boy shook his head no. "Good, 'cause I was thinking, maybe you could come to mine and we could binge on some chocolate or something? I get loads from relatives and stuff and my dad isn't gonna be in on Easter to, you know, carry on that tradition so…you up for it?" Boy nodded enthusiastically. "Wow. You must really love your chocolate." Just then, Eric approached them from the opposite direction. Boy gave her a cheeky smile and winked. "Hey Cindy" Eric said in a trance-like voice. He didn't even acknowledge Boy, his eyes were on Cindy. Boy waved goodbye at Cindy with a massive grin plastered across his face and jogged his was back home. "Bye Boy! See ya' in like, 3 days!" she called. Boy stuck a thumbs up and nodded while jogging backwards, then disappeared out of sight. "Sorry, um, hey." Cindy replied in a shy voice. Eric smiled.

"Are they the only clothes you own?" he joked. Cindy looked down at herself.

She was wearing her usual oversized plain white v-neck tee and black skinnies with her all black Converse (which looked like they were on their last legs) without her signature red lipstick. Cindy laughed. "Actually, I have a lot of clothes but I only wear like 5% of it and it looks like I don't want to wear any of it but I refuse to wear the other 95% 'cause I look ugly in them."

"Well, I 100% disagree." Eric said quietly. Cindy had her hair in a messy ponytail. Eric gently tucked the few strands of hair that framed her face behind her ear. Cindy had a burning desire to give him a long hug. A really, really long one. She contained the urge and swatted his hand away gently, an action she regretted immediately when she saw the expression on his face. "Eric, you told me to stay away from you. So please don't come up to me and start acting all lovey dovey with me when you're a taken man."

He let out a sarcastic laugh. "Well me and Bronwyn broke up, actually, so, single and ready to meet a girl good enough to share my food with."

A feeling of happiness burst in Cindy. She felt guilty for feeling it but she just couldn't help it. Of course, she didn't let it show. She had a confused look on her face. "When was this?"

"Last week." He replied rather coldly.

"Well that explains why she wasn't at school all week."

"Oh God…I didn't want her to miss school because of me…"

"Look, Eric, I need to go home, and quickly. I need to see my father about something." She nudged past him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Obviously he could see through her excuse. Cindy inched her face a little further from his. She didn't know whether the closeness was making her feel a little uncomfortable or happy. "Easter Day, yeah? I want you to meet me at the Stromberg."

Cindy shook her head no. "I can't" she said breathlessly. "I promised Boy we'd hang out on Easter Day."

While still gripping onto her arms, Eric took a crumpled pamphlet out of his pocket. "Mind giving me a pen?"

Cindy took a pen out of her bag and gave it to him. He quickly scribbled something down, and gave her the pamphlet. She looked at it to see he had written his number down. "See you on Monday, maybe? " He looked at her and whispered "hopefully." He blew her a kiss and winked, then continued walking. For a long time Cindy just stared at him, then she looked at the pamphlet. It was an advertisement for people willing to dress up as chicks for the Easter parade. Despite her feeble attempts to divert her mind elsewhere, she couldn't help but smile to herself at what had just happened.

Gary entered the living room with his arms out. "What do you think then kiddo?" He grinned.

"Ooh looking good dad!"

Gary laughed. "You think so? I needed an expert's opinion, but then I needed yours to!" He clicked his fingers and wore a cheesy grin on his face.

Cindy rolled her eyes. "Well, Wesley's definitely gonna like what she sees." Gary wore a sleek, dark brown leather jacket, with a fitted black shirt, dark blue jeans and smart shoes.

"Thanks hon."

"Hey dad, I'm going to this Easter march thing on Monday, that ok with you?"

He smoothed his shirt with his hands to make sure he looked ship-shape. "Who're you going with?" he sounded a bit doubtful.

"Um, this guy I know…"

Gary gave her a stern look. "Cindy I-"

"Dad" She interrupted. "It's not a date. Trust me. In fact, I don't think he knows what's gonna hit him."

Gary still looked a bit unsure. "Ok. But please be careful."

"I will" she re-assured.

"Ok. So I'll be back in 3, maybe 4 hours ok?"

"Ok dad. Have a good time and _behave_" Cindy joked. Gary chuckled as she kissed him goodbye and watched him walk out of the house.

They sat in Stromberg sipping coffee. "I'm glad you decided to come then" Eric said. He sounded a bit down for some odd reason.

Cindy gave him an uncomfortable smile. "Um, yeah, slight change of plan" she said. Eric looked puzzled. Cindy explained further. "Well, I'm not here as a date. You know that leaflet you gave me? Well, there was an advertisement on it. They needed people to dress as chicks to join the parade. I kinda called and said we'd do it 'cause, well, they're paying really good money for it and I kinda need it to help my dad pay off the bills."

Eric's mouth hung open in disbelief. "Why did you sign me up for it then?"

"Because it's the first step to being my girlfriend."

He just gawped at her. She winked at him, then got up for another round of lunch.

They stood in front of the mirror of the changing rooms in their chick suits. "You look pissed off" she stated casually.

"Because this is a stupid first date."

"You're forgetting we're still at the friend stage."

Eric looked at her in mocked disgust.

"I told you I don't do boyfriends" she sniggered.

"So who do you do?" he joked.

"Oh ha-ha" she laughed mechanically. "Very funny."

She winked at him and walked out of the room. Eric looked after her in admiration, then smirked to himself. He wasn't quite sure what the hell had happened.

She lay on the couch of her living room. Boy sat on the floor surrounded by sweet wrappers. "Oh Boy, if you were there to see his face! He probably just thought, 'well, at least she's wearing something different!'" Her impersonation of Eric was rather awful, but Boy was too fussed unwrapping his sweet to notice. Cindy sighed. "God I have never wanted anyone more." She looked at Boy. "But he's leading me on. And you know, a part of me, a big part of me, is falling for it. For him. But then I asked myself, 'who wants a daisy in a field of roses?'" Boy looked at her and shook his head no. "What's your problem?" He looked at the floor. "Hey I was joking!" she said in re-assurance. He smiled a shy smile. His mouth was full of chocolate, both his cheeks were bulging out from both sides. He had chocolate smothered all around his mouth. Cindy smiled at him in respect. "You're just something, aren't you Boy?" she asked somewhat quietly. A mechanical whirring noise sounded from the other side of the room. "Don't worry" she said. "It's just the fax machine." She got out of her place to see what it had come out with. She gasped with shock. "An eviction letter?!" The landlord was throwing her and Gary out. 'Crap. This money is nowhere near enough to pay off this debt' she thought, thinking about the money she earned from the parade. Boy got up and stood behind her, looking at the piece of paper. She looked at Boy and said "What am I gonna tell dad?" Boy just stared at her. "Exactly what I thought" she said, more to herself. "Nothing."

**HAPPY HALLOWEEN**

It had been 5 months since Cindy and her father had to settle in their new apartment. The owner of their previous home had thrown them out because they were behind on their bills by a lot. They could only afford to rent out a cheap, small flat since Gary was on minimum wage. "Dad, I'm going out tonight, ok?" she muffled. She still talked with her mouth full of food, a habit of hers that irritated Gary a lot.

"Well don't be expecting money. Everything I'm earning is going to straight towards those unpaid debts."

"I don't need money. Were just gonna gate-crash a party."

"Weren't you invited to one?" Gary asked.

Cindy let out a sarcastic laugh. "Including you, I have 2 friends."

Gary smiled at her. "Well, you don't need friends, ok? They'll just end up stabbing you in the back. You know, Wesley's having a party at hers tonight, so if you wanna come you're more than welcome too."

"Nah, I'm ok. Me and Boy are just gonna wing it. Is it a Halloween Party?" Gary nodded. "Do you think she'd have a spare costume? Or maybe costumes?"

"Oh you need one? Look her number up. It's there somewhere. Text her. If she does then, you can come with me before you meet Boy."

"Aw thanks dad." She texted Wesley, who replied back straight away. "Oh she does. What d'you think she'd do with spare costumes?" Cindy asked.

"Oh probably girl stuff. Anyway, just be thankful."

Cindy smiled to herself. Maybe if she was grateful enough she might see Eric at one of the parties. She put her empty bowl of cereal in the sink, and went upstairs to get ready for Wesley's.

"I managed to get these costumes last minute." Cindy told Boy. He looked distastefully at his costume. "They're not the most ideal. But I didn't want to be a slutty cat." Cindy's costume was a rabbit onesie which came with a separate, helmet-like head. The bunny was supposed to look stoned. His eyes were red and had optical illusion swirls in them. One of his ears had a massive rip in them and the other had bruises and scratches. Clearly the bunny was not supposed to look appealing. Boy's costume was the same, except his was a bears, and the eyes had black crosses in the centre with red cracks surrounding them.

"Sorry Boy, but the brown one wears the brown costume." He gave her a disbelieving look. "Look, let's just go to Halloweentown and gate-crash a party, ok?" Cindy wasn't a party person. She would much rather sit at home with her laptop and a slice of pizza. But right now, getting out of the house seemed like a good thing to do. They put on their helmets and walked through the neighbourhood also known as Halloweentown. It was called that for a reason. For every Halloween, every house on that little stretch threw a massive house party where anyone could get in. Cindy and Boy walked on until they reached a house at the end of the road. It seemed like the most fun. After all, there were balloons. You couldn't get any better than that.

They were stood in the corridor of a house which had at least 200 people in it. The majority of them were drunk, doing something stupid. Cindy was pretty sure she even saw cocaine on the floor of the narrow hallway. They took their helmets off and stood at the entrance. No one really took notice of them. "Well, guess it's gotta be this one." Boy and Cindy looked at each other, and then they went their separate ways. Cindy entered what she assumed was the guest room. There were so many people she could barely move through the cramped space. 'Thank the lord I know how to get my claustrophobia under control' Cindy thought. 'Or I'd be dead now.'

From the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar face. One she had very strong feelings about. _Mixed_ feelings. She put on her Bunny head and neared her way to him to eavesdrop on his conversation, if she could hear anything in this mess of a noise. He was drinking what Cindy thought looked like vodka and he was talking to another guy his age. "So I just saw Bronwyn" the other guy said. "Then he started to laugh. "She gave me the dirtiest look! Guess she's still hung up on you, but she has to take it out on me." Eric looked like he was in another world. "What actually happened between you two?" he said. That seemed to snap Eric out of his trance. Cindy sharpened her ears.

"Um, I just told her it wasn't working out" he replied, sounding unsure. The other guy gave him a sceptical look. "Oh look, Colin, just leave it ok?"

Colin laughed at his sudden outburst. "Just tell me"

"Fine! Fine, you really wanna know? I met someone else, ok? There, I said it!" He said, sounding frustrated.

"Ooh Eric I didn't think you were a cheater!"

He shook his head in exasperation. Cindy felt annoyed too. She didn't want to be thought of as the village bicycle.

"I didn't cheat on her! I just…things were going fine until she introduced me to her stupid friend."

'STUPID?! Aw hell naw!" She was about to take her helmet off when he said it. Confirmed it. He admitted exactly what she thought he felt for her. And she felt the same for him. She just wasn't quite sure how to approach it. "I've never wanted anyone more." He said, his tone dreamy. "I'm not lying, Colin, but I think I'm in love…"

Collin looked at him for a few seconds, then burst into laughter. He slapped his knee because apparently, the thought of Eric in love was hilarious. "You're 17! Love?! You're too young for that! How old is she anyway?"

"15. Same as Bronwyn. But what I had with Bronwyn was nothing more than a crush. Just a bit of fun. With her, I'm, well, you know I'm like 'Damn she gives me a boner but I also wanna make her soup, you know?'"

Colin nodded no. "Nope. I can honestly say I've never felt that way." Under the helmet, Cindy had the biggest smile on her face. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Cindy genuinely felt happy. Then, as usual, someone had to come along and spoil it.

"You know, maybe you just want what you can't have. That's why you feel this way. Maybe if you dated her, you'll realise she's nothing special." Eric looked a bit uncertain. He mumbled something under his breath that was inaudible. Cindy's chest felt numb because there was a chance Colin was right. And that thought made her feel worse than ever. 'Screw you Colin' she thought. She hurried off to find Boy. After all, she needed someone to complain too. She searched every inch of the house. Upstairs, downstairs, the bathroom, the balcony. She asked people whether they had seen him, describing him as a 'scrawny little Indian kid." He was nowhere to be found. She ran outside and took off her helmet. She inhaled a deep breath and refused to let herself panic. Then she saw him. He sat right at the end of the stretch, on a little bench by himself, his bear head resting next to him. He looked a bit miserable. She approached him slowly, letting out a deep breath before Boy looked up and gave her a sad smile. "Penny for your thoughts?" She asked as she sat down next to him. He just looked at her. Cindy nodded her head. "Yep. Still not talking, huh?" She looked at him and said "You know what? If you're ever feeling sad, just laugh. Really, laugh. Because I've discovered that when you find humour in a difficult situation, you win." He looked at her rather admirably, then looked down and smiled shyly. "Thanks." He said quietly.

Cindy gasped in shock. "It speaks!"

Boy chuckled lightly. "He. I'm a he. Not an it."

"Well, at least I can ask you what your actual name is now that you're speaking to me."

Boy let out a deep breath. "It's Osman. Pronounced Us-man, but spelt Osman." He had a thick British accent, like the sort you'd hear on Downtown Abbey, which surprised Cindy quite a bit.

"Oooh Osman as in Donny Osmond?"

Osman looked irritated at her. "No…Osman as in Usman."

"Jeez that's confusing. May I ask where you're from?"

He sighed again. He waited about a minute or two, and then answered. "Iraq."

Cindy gasped in shock. "You're one of Bin Laden's people!"

He shook his head in disbelief. "Like every other ignorant American" he said bitterly.

"Hey! We're not all ignorant! Your people are just… a little dangerous. They caused 9/11!"

Something in him snapped. "There're arguments against my people and arguments against yours! That's why they call it a conspiracy!" He seemed to have calmed down from his outburst. "Anyway" he said quietly, his tone low and cold. "It didn't benefit either of our sides."

Cindy looked annoyed. "Your side?! It's my people who died!"

"May I remind you that thousands of innocent people, including kids, are bombed and killed by dozens of your drones in the Middle East every month, and not one fuck is given in the West because people are so brainwashed that they actually need the media to tell them what to get shocked and outraged about." He sneered. "Do you get judged _everyday _just because of your beliefs? Or religion?" he carried on. "You knew me for 7 months. I'd say that's a heck of a long time. _7 months _without knowing I was a Muslim. Am I a terrorist now? A threat to society? Or am I still good old Boy to you?"

Cindy realised that whatever she said next would be worthless. Her argument was invalid because he was right. She felt sickened with herself if she was being honest. She looked at him pitifully without meaning to. "Wow" she murmured. "I didn't realise you'd felt that way."

"You know, every day I fear for my mum. When she walks out of the house with her headscarf on. That's the so-called terrorist, my mother. And you know what's even more pathetic? She wouldn't hurt a fly. But, you know, it's ok 'cause she wears a headscarf so she must be dangerous, right?" Cindy looked at him in admiration. He carried on. "The world had turned a symbol of respect and honour into something evil, a certain evil I don't think any of us consume. No human with a heart or a conscience could commit such acts of atrocity. Do you want to know why my mum wears a headscarf? Do you wanna know why? I'll tell you why. Because she'd rather save her beauty for her husband instead of show the whole world. She wants to gain respect for the kind of person she is rather than how her skin looks or how beautiful her hair is. She wants her true beauty to show through her actions rather than her physical features. My mum, a terrorist? My mum is the most beautiful woman in the world, inside and out."

Cindy's eyes were watery, and she couldn't hold the tears in anymore. She sobbed quietly. "That's so beautiful" she said, her voice shaky. Osman looked up and smiled at her. "For a terrorist" she joked. He laughed. Opening up to Cindy may have been one of the best decisions he's made all year.

They walked through the park next to Halloween town. There was only light from the street lamps, but Cindy needed to get a proper breath of fresh air. It was good to get away from the crowds of people and the noise blasting loudly from all around you, and to just have some thinking time alone really. Well, with your best friend. "So, that's why you didn't want to talk to me? Because people bully you about it?"

Osman nodded sheepishly. "It happened in my last 3 schools. People would just yell stuff at me in the corridors. Like 'terrorist!' or 'curry muncher' which is totally inaccurate because curry originates from places in Southern Asia such as Pakistan and India."

Cindy shook her head in disgust. "Please don't ever suffer in silence, ok? There is much more to a person than their religion or sexuality or skin colour and, well you know, other stuff. I mean, I didn't even know you had a British accent! Chicks dig that stuff. You got that much going for you!" Cindy proclaimed. "I just want you to know, we aren't all like that. Most of us are really cool."

"Well blame your media. Just like you seem to think of us as violent, most of us think of you as racist. Not that that's true. But that's what it looks like."

"Well don't believe everything you see. And certainly don't judge a whole race of people by the acts of a few individuals."

"You know, if we stuck by that, we just might be able to get somewhere."

Cindy smiled at him in respect. "You know, I'm happy you talk."

"Really?" Boy asked surprisingly. "Any particular reason?"

"Well. Now I have someone to bitch about people with."

They both smiled at each other before heading back through Halloweentown to make their way back home.

**HAPPY THANKSGIVING**

It was 4pm. Wesley and her 2 twins, Bonnie and Caleb, were celebrating Thanksgiving with Cindy and Gary. They were sat around the dinner table in the kitchen while Gary was preparing the turkey. He took it out of the oven and put it on the counter. He drizzled a bit of lemon juice over it, then took it to the table. He gave the knife and fork to Cindy. "Your turn to do the honours" he said. Cindy was surprised at her dad. "Really?" she asked. Gary was always a bit touchy when it came to carving the turkey because neither of them did a good job at it. Evie always did it, but when she left last January , they didn't celebrate Thanksgiving properly because they didn't have much to be thankful for. Wesley smiled at her, her kids waiting patiently for Cindy to carve the turkey. They put all the sides on their plates while she started carving, and before eating dinner, they prayed. Gary started the prayer. "O Lord, we thank you for the gifts of your bounty which we enjoy at this table. As you have provided for us in the past, so may you sustain us throughout our lives. While we enjoy your gifts, may we never forget the needy and those in want." And finished with "God is great, and God is good, And we thank him for our food; By his hand we all are fed; Give us, Lord, our daily bread. And God, we thank you for the wind and rain and sun above. But most of all for those we love" before finishing with "Amen." Everyone repeated Amen and tucked into their dinner. And while gobbling on the turkey, Cindy thought of the million things that she was grateful for. And funnily enough, they all seemed to happen in the space of a month rather than the whole year.

It was 8pm and Cindy was with Osman. They stood waiting at the back entrance of the bank in darkness, a wired fence in between them and the grounds. Cindy had her usual clothes on, but she threw a grey oversized hoodie on, and wore black fingerless gloves with a black ribbed beanie as she felt it was appropriate for the occasion. Osman was dressed head to toe in black. He wore a turtle neck, jeans, timberlands and a black beanie. They both stared at the tip of the 50-storey building. For a long time they stood in the dark just staring at the bank. Finally, Osman broke the silence. "Remind me again, why are we robbing a bank?"

Cindy looked at him. "Because my dad needs the money. We're really behind on the debt, which probably means we aren't going to be celebrating Christmas properly this year. I mean, every night I pray to God that we'd get some money from somewhere, but I know God doesn't work that way. So I'm gonna rob a bank and ask for forgiveness instead."

Osman just stared at her, a lot like he used to when he never spoke. "You know, this goes against everything my religion teaches."

"Well, I know that your religion teaches you to give money to charity. So just think of me as the charity, the needy, shall we say, and you're helping me by getting me what I need. It's a win-win situation" she replied. Osman still looked a bit unsure. "Look, why did you come along if you didn't wanna go through with this?" Cindy moaned.

"Because…" he started. "…I don't want to let my best friend to stupid things…" he looked at her with a serious expression. "…alone."

Cindy gave him a big grin. "Awh, I just wanna hug you right now! But Sharia Law will kill me so, keeping my hands to myself." She joked. Osman laughed. "Ok" Cindy said. "Since you're shorter and most likely lighter than me, I'm gonna lift you over the fence ok?"

Osman nodded. Cindy put both her hands out, and he stepped on them and heaved himself over the fence. Cindy shortly joined him on the other side. "You know, now that I'm thinking about it, couldn't we have just robbed a corner shop instead? It would've been much easier and more logical."

Cindy groaned. "Ok genius, thanks for telling me now." She replied sarcastically.

They both walked to the front doors of the bank in silence. Once they were there, Osman snickered. "What's so funny?" Cindy asked quite rudely.

"Well, um, how do you plan on getting in?" He asked. He looked like he was enjoying himself at the thought of Cindy's crazy idea not going to plan.

Cindy rummaged through her pockets and took out a hair pin. She shook it in front of him. He scoffed and said "really? A hair slide?" Cindy nodded and began to insert the slide into the keyhole "You're going to rob a-" he stopped in his tracks when he heard the lock unclick. He gawped open-mouthed at Cindy. She scoffed at him and had a smug smile plastered to her face. "Never under-estimate a hair slide." She walked in, Osman walking after her with disbelief all over his face. They stopped after a few steps, staring at the safety shutters blocking their way. "Ok Einstein, how are you planning to get through this one?" Cindy looked around for a while, then pressed a bunch of the buttons on the wall to the left beside her. The shutters automatically started moving, very slowly, but still moving, clearing their way to the main lobby of the bank. Again, he gawked at it. "How do you it?" he asked.

"Don't doubt me. I have my ways." She really didn't. She was just lucky that they had those emergency buttons.

They entered the massive reception of the bank. "Ooh Cindy…I have a really bad feeling about this."

Cindy laughed. "To be honest, I'm surprised we got this far!"

They must have stepped over a sensor without realising, because within seconds loud sirens were booming throughout the bank, red lights flashing all around them. "Shit" Cindy muttered. "I only thought this happened in the movies."

"I knew this was a bad idea!" Osman stated, obvious worry in his voice. She grabbed his arm and dragged him behind the desk of the reception. "Hide under here!" she ordered, pointing to the tiny space beneath the desk.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"JUST DO IT!" she yelled, irritated. "It's big enough for both of us to hide under!"

He ducked and made himself comfortable in the cramped space, Cindy sitting opposite him, there legs inches away from each other.

"Why the hell did we do this?!" he yelled in a whisper. "This is a high security bank! Like hiding under a desk is gonna keep us from not getting caught!"

"This is also a 50-storey building!" she yelled back, again, in a whisper. "You really think they're gonna look under a desk!"

At that exact moment, a head popped out. That head also happened to be wearing a hat with 'security' written across it in big, bold letters. Osman and Cindy looked in worry. The colour had drained from their faces. The man smiled slyly. "Well, well, well" he said. "Lookey who we have here."

Cecil paced back and forth with a demented smile on his face. That was the name of the security man who had found Cindy and Osman hiding under the desk. He was muttering something about 'bonuses' and 'credits' to himself.

"What are you so happy about?" Cindy asked slowly.

"Be quiet!" he snapped. His face was covered with sweat. 'Maybe he has problems' Cindy thought. She looked at Osman, who had a terrified look on his face. Like all those months with Cindy, Osman was dead quiet and refused to speak or answer any questions the security guard asked him.

The door suddenly opened. A man with greyish-white hair wearing a navy shirt and a red tie walked in. He looked furious, but when he spotted Cindy and Osman he burst into laughter. "Cecil, what the hell is this?" he asked, as if this was some terrible joke he was playing on him.

He cleared his throat. "Um, these are the alleged robbers."

The smile disappeared from his face. "These..." he looked at them before finishing with 'kids.'

Cecil nodded stiffly. He muttered something inaudible and motioned for Cecil to get out.

Cindy gulped down the massive lump that had formed in her throat as the man pulled a chair out and sat facing opposite them.

The room was tiny and Cindy could feel the claustrophobic panic enveloping her. She tried her best to stay cool anyway.

"Ok, first of all, how the hell did you idiots get in here?" he fired. He was not in a friendly mood. His voice was rough and his expression told them there was no messing about.

"Erm, a hair pin"

He looked at her sceptically. "Look, lady, don't give me sass."

"I'm not!" she declared. She took the hair pin out of her pocket and laid it on the table. "There."

He looked at it before looking at Osman. "Oi you" he said rudely. "Not got anything to say, huh? Guilty conscience I suppose?"

Osman just looked at him. He really was on the verge of tears, but he used every ounce of strength in him to hold them back.

"Ok" he muttered. He took out a notepad and pen. "I need your names." He stated.

"Erm, Cindy." He scribbled vigorously.

"And his?" he said, looking at Osman.

"Erm, Osman"

He looked at Cindy, then at Osman, and began tutting. "Always the Arab. You'd think, with all the oil they have, they wouldn't want any more money." He let out a cold laugh. "Enough is never enough for them, is it kid?"

"Well, you are stealing all of our oils. And resources" he snapped. He squinted at his name badge. "So Mr Barnabas Wyatt, doesn't that make you a bit of a hypocrite?" He sneered. Both Cindy and Barnabas sat there open-mouthed. Cindy was glad Osman stood up for what was right. It was about time someone did.

Barnabas scoffed. "Resources? You're all terrorists. It's what your religion preaches."

"No it doesn't" Cindy exclaimed. She did a lot of research when Osman confided to her on Halloween. Just call it trying to get to know her friend better. "It's actually a very peaceful religion. How stupid are you to believe a religion promotes violence when the whole point of religion is to preach peace? You people just use it as an excuse for war. It's not the reason _for _war. I'm pretty sure if it promoted terrorism, considering more than have the world's population is Muslim, wouldn't we all be dead?"

Osman had a look of pure respect and admiration for her. She continued. "You know, it's all propaganda. You know it is. And censorship. And you know, that sounds very similar to what happened to black people in America, and Jews in 1940s Germany. Why do we never learn, hey? Always repeating History. Maybe if extremist nut jobs like the Taliban and greedy, corrupt people like those who occupy our government realise that what the hell you're doing is wrong, we wouldn't be in this mess of thousands of people getting killed from each side." Barnabas gawped at her again. "You're also forgetting that the many centuries religion has existed, I'm pretty sure some idiot twisted the rules to suit their needs. I guess we never really know the truth."

He slowly slid the pen and notepad across the table to Cindy. "I want your details on here. From there, we'll sort it out" he stated quietly. He got up and walked out. Cindy could tell that he did _not _expect that.

"Thanks" he said. Cindy looked at Osman, who looked elated with joy. "It's nice you understand. And that you, you know, stuck up for me." He looked rather shy now.

"Hey, it's cool. Remember, don't be racist, just hate everyone. Anyway, he needed to be told." She smiled at him before saying "Thanks."

"What for?" he asked, confused.

"For going through with this idea"

"Well, good memories come from bad ideas." He replied. How she managed to stay friends with him for 7 months without him talking to her was beyond her.

**ADVENT**

Cindy was about to head out of the flat when her dad called her. "Cindy, I want you to behave ok?" he said sternly.

"Dad, why the hell would I rob from Walmart? And as if I'm gonna be doing it in broad daylight."

Gary sighed. "Please just…don't do anything stupid." He kissed the top of her head, then hugged her. "Especially for me. I'm an adult, I can deal with things a lot better than you, ok? You're a kid. Please spend that time to act like one before it's too late."

Cindy gave him a sad smile and nodded. "See ya' later then" she said as she headed out.

"Bye!" he shouted before closing the door.

Gary gave Cindy just enough money to buy some cheap decorations for Christmas. They were low on money, especially after the attempted 'robbery' where they had to pay a $150 fine on top of all those debts. What Gary gave her was all they could afford, but Cindy was grateful nonetheless that she could afford to celebrate Christmas at all. Gary was still earning minimum wage working at the library, and he still had other debts that needed to be paid off to his previous landlord on top of the rent. As it was advent today, they were going to the Church tonight to pray. Maybe if Cindy believed and prayed enough, things just might work out for them.

Cindy returned with ten dozen bags. "I'm back, dad!" she yelled as she closed the door behind her. "Hey! We're in the kitchen! Wesley's here too!" he shouted back, Wesley shouting hi in the background. Cindy was completely out of breath. After all, walking up 10 flights of stairs with more than a handful of Walmart bags is probably the most exercise Cindy's done in her entire life. Cindy walked into the kitchen to find Wesley and Gary cooking. "Hey Dad. Hey Wesley." She sniffed the air. "What are you cooking?"

"Soup that your dad made all by himself. And believe it or not, it tastes better than I thought it would. Here, try some." She neared the spoon to her mouth to feed her.

"Nice to know you had faith in me" Gary replied sarcastically.

"Jeez dad, when did you get this good at cooking?! You're good for him, you are" she said, pointing at Wesley. They all laughed.

"Right guys, go wait in the living room while I prepare the dinner, ok?" Gary said, taking his apron off.

Wesley kissed him on the cheek before making her way to the living room with Cindy. They sat down and turned the television on. Looked like they had to do with 'The Three Stooges.'

"So, where're Bonnie and Caleb?" Cindy asked.

"Oh at some weekend club thing. It's for arts and crafts." She looked at her watch. "Gotta pick them up in an hour."

"Please look after my dad" Cindy interjected, totally ignoring what Wesley had just said. Her eyes were full of tears now.

"Cindy I…what's brought this on?" she asked, concerned.

Cindy cried silently, a tear strolling down her cheek. Cindy hated crying. She always believed it to be a sign of weakness. But she had bottled it for so long since her dad started dating Wesley. And she was cracking, even if she didn't look like it. "He really hasn't been doing good these past few months and, well, I'm concerned. You see, people have a habit of using him" she whispered ever so quietly. She looked down, mainly because she was embarrassed of looking Wesley in the eyes.

"By people, you mean you're mom?"

She looked up and stared her straight in the eyes. "Yeah" she nodded stiffly. "Exactly. If it's not money, it's something else."

Wesley got up and sat next to her on the couch. Cindy rested her head on her shoulder and she gently rubbed her head to calm her. "Cindy, I love that you care for your dad. And I want you to know that I love him for him. For everything he does for you, for the kind of person he is."

Cindy smiled a watery smile. "He doesn't deserve all the shit he's gotten in his life. He's a good man. He needs happiness. I trust that you can give that to him."

Wesley started stroking her hair. Normally Cindy hated having her hair touched, but when Wesley did it, she found it strangely comfortable and relaxing. Before they could continue on with their conversation, Gary walked in with the bowls of soup. He rushed to the table. "Sorry it took long" he babbled. "The food was-." He immediately stopped talking when he saw Cindy. Her eyes were red and her face was strewn with tears. "Hey kiddo, you ok?" he asked. He quickly rushed to sit beside her, motioning for Wesley to go and eat her dinner. She got up to sort the dinner out properly.

"Sorry dad" she said, choking on her tears.

"Hey, what's happened?" He asked calmingly.

Cindy sat up and wiped her tears away. "Nothing dad. You know what, I'm sorry for spoiling your dinner."

"We just had a heart to heart, you know what ladies are like" Wesley intruded.

Cindy smiled at Wesley. Her way of saying 'thank-you-for-saving-my-neck' without actually saying it in front of Gary. Wesley winked at her and together they sat down to eat their lovely meals before Wesley had to leave to pick up the twins.

They walked into the empty church. "You wanna make your way to the confession box?" Gary asked, pointing to the tiny, wooden, box-like room. Cindy nodded. "Ok, I'm gonna put some money on the donation plate, then I'll be waiting outside."

"Sure, see ya'" she said, waving her dad goodbye. She continued looking at Gary walking to the other side of the hall before making her way to the confession box. Before she went in, the priest emerged from nowhere and called her. She turned to him and saw him approaching her. "Cinderella!" He said.

Cindy groaned and rolled her eyes. She hated being called that. "Please don't call me that. I don't really have a good impression of you guys anyway."

He chuckled. "Now, now, Cindy, not all of us are like that! I, for one, never have and never will abuse my position of trust."

"Good" Cindy said, sounding unsure. He opened the door for her to enter the booth, then closed it so he could enter the other side.

"Ok, Cindy, you may begin" The priest spoke quietly. "Please tell me what you have done so God may forgive you."

"Ok, uhm, where to begin." She paused for a second before picking up from where she left off. "Ok, well, the first bad thing I did this year was, um, punch my mom and swear at her."

The priest stayed silent for a minute, then asked what Cindy had called her. Cindy fidgeted before asking whether it was appropriate to say those kinds of things in Church. The priest ignored her and asked her to continue with the rest of her confession.

She neared her head closer to the lattice. "I then put, er, laxatives in this girl's drink. But I mean, I hate her so it was kinda funny to see her shittin' all over the pla-" The priest coughed. "Oh, sorry. Still doesn't excuse what I did, does it? Anyway, I made sure she couldn't go to the toilet by putting cling-film at the entrance. And to make things worse, I made sure she was covered in mine and my friends vomit." The shame was beginning to show in Cindy's voice.

"Please carry on." He said. "I'm assuming there's more, right?"

"Yeah. Er, I tried to rob a bank the other day…yep, didn't go as planned in case you're wondering. It was all for good intentions though! Even if it didn't work…"

There was a moment of silence before the priest asked politely if she was done confessing.

"Um, well, I might've led a guy on. I don't know, is that a sin?"

The priest chuckled lightly. He ignored her question and said, "tell me Cindy, why did you do all of that? Was it out of spite? Bitterness? Revenge?"

"No. I only spiked that girl's drink with laxatives because she was bullying my friend. He's a great guy and it was really upsetting him. I mean, it worked because she leaves him alone now. And I punched my mom because…" she shuddered before continuing. "…because she was bad-mouthing me and my dad. And my dad is a good man. The best dad ever. When she said that stuff, it made my blood boil. And my failed attempt at robbing a bank was to help my father pay off huge debts we owed to our previous landowner."

"I'm not justifying your actions but, does this make you bad person?"

Cindy thought for a second before answering, "well, it certainly doesn't make me selfish"

"Exactly. What you did was all in good thought. You did it to help others."

"So am I off the hook?" Cindy asked hopefully.

The priest chuckled. "Well, you are this time. But remember, there're more Christian ways to help other people, ok? Take that into account before doing those kinds of things again."

"Thanks Priest. I definitely feel like a better person now."

"Good." He said. He opened the door for her, motioning for her to come out. She certainly felt lighter, cleansed of her sins if you will. "Will I be seeing you and Gareth on Christmas Eve?"

Cindy smiled "Yep, and possibly 3 other new faces."

"Ooh what a nice early Christmas present. A family, eh?"

"Seeing my dad is a nice Christmas present. If he's happy, I'm happy."

The priest smiled at her and said "you really care for your dad, don't you?"

"Yeah" she replied quietly. "See you Christmas Eve then, eh priesty?" she slowly started to jog her way to the entrance. She looked back and said "thanks for the confession!"

The priest stuck a thumb up back at her and yelled back goodbye.

Gary stood up and asked suspiciously why she looked so happy. Cindy didn't answer, but instead, continued to smile.

**A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY**

"So, maybe someone took a sneaky look at your birthday list" Gary said. They were sat on the couch scoffing on a Chinese. Cindy narrowed her eyes and asked suspiciously where he got the list from. "I might've rummaged through your memory box." He replied innocently.

Cindy raised her brows. "Ok…I definitely need to keep my room locked."

Gary chuckled. "Dad, please just ignore it, ok? I was really upset with the moving and stuff and, well, I guess you could say I've grown to understand why we do stuff."

Gary secretly smiled to himself. Cindy licked her fingers and said frustratingly "seriously dad! Just ignore it and focus on making this Christmas a good one!"

Gary got up to put the rubbish in the bin, then emerged from the doorway a minute later. He gave her a sticky note. "What's this?" Cindy asked curiously. The note read '4.40pm.'

"That is the time you're supposed to come back from Birthday shopping tomorrow, ok? It's a reminder 'cause I know how forgetful you are."

"Ok…" Cindy said, sounding unsure.

Gary pulled $80 out of his pocket and gave it to Cindy, who looked at it with her mouth hanging open. "It's your birthday tomorrow! Treat yourself, ok? You deserve it." He smirked at her, then walked out of the room to make his way upstairs. Cindy looked at the money with a big grin plastered on her face. 'Tomorrow is gonna be a good day' she thought.

They were in Bloomingdale's department store. They had wandered around for about half an hour before coming in and searching for something Osman needed. "So, rich kid…" Cindy said. She liked poking fun at Osman about his wealth. After all, his dad is the proud owner of a very successful computer company. He smirked at her, and she smirked right back. "…Found it yet?"

"Does it look like it?" He motioned to his arms, which were empty.

"Hurry up then! Walmart's more up my street. Or budget anyway."

"Fine then! What d'you like? Make-up? Hats?" he asked in exasperation.

"Why d'you need to kn-?" Cindy stopped in her tracks when she realised why they were here in the first place. "Aw, Osman! No! Please, don't get me anything, especially from here!" she said. She gave him a hug, to which he responded to by awkwardly tapping her back.

"Quite the couple, aren't you?" A voice interjected. Cindy let go of Osman to look around at who said it. She turned around only to face a very snow-kissed Eric. If Cindy was being honest with herself, he was kind of the last person she wanted to see right now. But at the same, she missed him so damn much.

"Wow. You've added a new piece to your collection!" Eric mocked playfully. Cindy was wearing a black duffle coat with her usual clothing. Cindy smiled.

"Fancy seeing you here!" Osman said.

Eric looked down and laughed. "Please tell me you guys are only friends?"

"Yes" Cindy exclaimed. "We are _just _friends. Who are you with?" she said, looking around.

"I'm actually by myself" he answered.

"Well, you can come with us if you want?" Osman chimed. "It's Cindy's birthday today."

"Oh happy birthday!"

"Thanks" Cindy said, smiling shyly. They just stared at each other, then Osman coughed to break the awkward trance they were having.

"You know, it wouldn't hurt to come with you guys, would it?" he chuckled.

"Well actually, it wouldn't hurt for you to go with Cindy. I'm off to, er, buy something so…you'll be alone."

Cindy was still staring at Eric.

"All the better" Eric whispered under his breath.

"Well, see ya'" Cindy said. They both said their goodbye's to Osman as they watched him make his way to another aisle.

Eric looked at Cindy. "So, the big 1-6, huh?"

Cindy smiled shyly. "Yep. I really thought I would accomplish something by 16 but no, I'm still the pathetic loser I was since I promised myself that."

Eric was quiet. All he could think about was how much he wanted to stand under a mistletoe with her (because kissing her randomly would be too risky). Cindy, on the other hand, was dreading the fact that Eric could possibly make a move on her. She hadn't even had her first kiss, let alone a boyfriend. She wasn't ready for commitment and she wasn't even used to boys liking her. The thought of kissing Eric freaked her out completely.

They arrived at the Dior make-up counter. "Like anything?" he asked, mainly to break the awkward silence. Cindy scoffed. "What?" he questioned. "You're the birthday girl, choose what you want."

She gently swatted his hand away. "Eric, this is way too much. I don't want anything, thanks anyway." She smiled somewhat lovingly at him.

"Well, I think it would go well with your bunny suit."

The smile from Cindy's face vanished. She stuttered. "How do you-"

"I saw you with Osman" he interrupted. "I went out for some fresh air, and I saw you guys on the bench. Having a little heart-to-heart, right?"

Cindy scrunched her face. "Urgh, did you think I blended in anyway?"

Eric laughed. "Pretty well. I mean, I never questioned it because you could've actually been dancing."

Cindy let out a sigh. "I'm really sorry I eavesdropped. I guess curiosity really did kill the cat."

"Hey, just as long as things aren't awkward between us."

"Why would they be awkward?" Cindy asked ever so quietly.

"Because…I kind of expressed my feelings. I don't really do that, especially if I know they don't feel the same way."

"Well, I don't know who you're talking about but, I don't know why things would be awkward if I felt exactly the same way…" she replied so quietly, barely audible.

They both looked each other in silence before slowly, very slowly, leaning in. They didn't care they were in public, Cindy didn't care at all. Every bit of doubt she had in her head before had vanished and she plucked up every ounce of courage she could because she wanted this moment to happen so badly. Then it had gone. Their moment had gone. Just like that, it had disappeared, and it hurt, for both of them, to not have that perfect movie moment to happen. Every bit of tension that built up to that moment had come crashing down on them. And all because a sales assistant came. Wrong time, wrong place. The story of Cindy's life.

Eric groaned quietly and rolled his eyes at her, obvious annoyance on his face.

"I'm sorry but, I'm not buying. Just looking" Cindy replied.

"Ok, well, if you need any help or have any questions, I'll be at that counter" she said, pointing at a counter a few steps away from them.

"Ok, thanks" Cindy said with frustration. The sales assistant walked off to hassle someone else. She turned to Eric and they both stared at each other before Cindy finally spoke up. "I guess that's what you get for trying to kiss someone in public."

Eric nodded stiffly. "I'll see you round, maybe?" he asked quietly, walking off before Cindy could reply.

She felt quiet sad. She was so nervous but so happy at the same time that, finally, something good might happen to her. To just be like every normal teenage girl…

"Hey" Osman said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Erm, hi" Cindy responded quietly.

"Where's Eric?" he asked.

"He needed to go."

"You look sad. I hope this cheers you up." He urged her to take the black, plastic bag from her. She took it off him and peeped inside. "Open it at home, ok?" Osman said.

Cindy smiled and nodded. Whatever the hell had just happened to her, she didn't chase after Eric. She stuck by Osman. And that was better than any beautiful mistake she ever made.

Cindy arrived home just in time. She completely forgot she needed to be home at 4.40pm.

"Oh, Jesus Cindy!" Gary yelled breathlessly. "I thought you were gonna be late. Come on! We need to go NOW."

Before Cindy could reply, Gary had dragged her out of the flat, down ten flights of stairs and to Wesley's forest green Ford. They sat inside, Cindy barely getting the chance to breathe before Gary started the car and drove off; telling her to keep her eyes shut the whole way. Even though he was acting like such a child, Cindy did as she was told. She also kept quiet the whole journey, with Gary re-assuring her that this would be the best birthday present she'd ever get. Cindy stayed silent, a small smile on her face. She felt the car stop. Gary got out and opened the door, gently grabbing her arm to pull her out as her eyes were still shut. "This better be good dad!" she said seriously, a hint of humour in her voice. Gary sniggered. He gently lay his hands on her eyes, leading her a few steps further before taking them off.

"Ok, you can open your eyes now" he said quietly. Cindy opened her eyes slowly and gasped. She stood facing her old house, which was elaborately decorated with lights and other Christmas decorations. It looked beautiful.

"Oh my God" she whispered slowly under her breath. She looked at Gary, who had a big grin on his face. "I…thanks." She was lost for words. She was so touched her dad had done all of this, just for her. She randomly hugged him, rather tightly so he was barely breathing. She looked up and asked him "how?"

"I got my old job back" he told her happily. "For good this time. Except I've been upgraded. I'm co-owner as well as manager of City Lake ICT Corp."

"Wow! Congrats dad! How come?"

Gary looked down, his smile slowly fading away. "Erm, you know that Brian guy you were telling me about a few months back? The one that's with your mother."

"Yes" Cindy replied, sounding disgusted. "But what's he got to do with anything?"

"Well, he's Brian Renner, the guy who bought out the corp. He fired me because, well, your mother forced him to so…" he stopped. Cindy waited for him to continue.

"…so he couldn't find out about her, erm, antics" he finished reluctantly.

The anger swelled up inside Cindy. "How she's a lying two-faced, gold-digging user?"

"Cindy, whatever she is, she's still your mother" Gary said sternly.

"She's no mother of mine" Cindy replied, very quietly.

"Anyway" he said on a more cheerful note. It was one of Gary's many talents, to switch topics when it got uncomfortable. "He begged me to come back as manager on Thanksgiving because apparently the business was going downhill without me. I told him I'd only come back if it was a shared business, and , well, he accepted. Of course, he found out everything she did. And the rest…is history."

Cindy had a big smile on her face. "So she's pissed off somewhere-hopefully never coming back-and we're cruising down the fast lane."

Gary nodded happily. Cindy hugged her dad tightly again. He patted her on the back before they proceeded inside to join Wesley and the twins for her birthday dinner.

Cindy changed into her cosy fleece pyjama bottoms and oversized grey hoodie. She was feeling particularly cold today so turned the heating up. She was extremely tired from all the socializing she had to do downstairs with Osman, her family and Wesley's family. Which reminded her that she still hadn't opened the present Osman gave her. She grabbed the bag and took the gift out, which was wrapped neatly in gold, sparkly wrapping paper. She carefully un-wrapped it, her heart swelling with joy and affection at what she saw. She was holding a glass photo frame which had Arabic writing on the top and bottom in matte black. And in the frame was a collage of photos of Cindy and Osman. She opened the card attached to the back of the frame and read aloud to herself the message written inside.

'_To Cindy,_

_Thank you for your existence. Thank you for taking time out of your life to cheer me up and re-assure me of my worth. Thank you for being hope for me that someday, equality might be possible. Thank you for being there for me when everybody else left. Thank you for making me laugh when I didn't even want to smile. Thank you for being you. _

_Happy 16__th__ Birthday Cindy_

_Love Osman_

_P.s: The writing on the frame translates to 'Best Friends Bring Happiness' in English.'_

A silent tear strolled down Cindy's cheek. She had never felt so happy and good about herself in her life up until she read Osman's message. She stood the frame and card on her drawer along with the others and sat on her bed. She looked out of the window and the clear night sky, a few stars scattered about and a full moon glowing brightly. "Thank you" she mouthed, before saying Amen. She tucked herself under the covers and drifted off to sleep in total happiness.

**CHRISTMAS EVE**

They were walking along the Love-Lock Bridge in Paris. They stopped when they found a spot to attach their lock on. Eric looked at Cindy and told her to "do the honours." Cindy smiled at him, then attached the lock to the bridge and threw the key in the river below. They both stayed silent for a few moments, admiring the view of Paris before Eric broke the silence. "I love you."

The smile on Cindy's face disappeared. She stayed silent. She'd only ever felt a daughterly love for her dad. She wasn't familiar with 'relationship love.' She looked at him. "Cool. I love food" she said. Eric looked at her, his expression blank. But before he could say anything, someone yelled at Cindy to wake up from the other side of the bridge.

Cindy woke up suddenly, her eyes stinging from the light. "Finally!" Gary shouted. "Everyone's waiting for you downstairs."

"What?" Cindy slurred, still half asleep. She was still thinking about her dream, and thanking God at the same time that it _was _a dream.

"Just get ready quickly, Cindy" he replied, sounding exasperated. He walked out of the room and left the door wide open. He knew Cindy hated that. She got up angrily and slammed the door. She threw herself back on her bed and just lay there staring at the ceiling. She didn't know whether she should waste her energy being angry at her dad or thinking about her dream. She decided to go for the latter. 'This is ridiculous' she thought to herself. 'Why would a guy like him ever go for a girl like me?' She got up and threw on her usual outfit but added a grey over-sized hoodie. She grabbed her very old and broken all black converse and walked out the room. "Whatever. I'll just date myself" she muttered under her breath as she slammed the door behind her to make her way downstairs.

Everybody was excited, and you could definitely feel it linger in the atmosphere. Everyone apart from Cindy anyway, who was cranky that she had to get out of bed altogether never mind how early it was. After all of her family (including Gary's parents and his two younger brothers Michael and Gregory) had pulled her cheeks and told her she'd grown up multiple times, she had to endure Wesley's family (the twins, her father and her older sister Maria) telling her their life stories. She made her way to the front door, grabbing her black duffle coat and fair-isle print beanie that was on the floor and yelled "I'm going now, dad!" Gary jogged to the door, kissing her on the top of her head and making her promise she'll stay safe and get back home on time, to which she agreed too. She walked out of the house and heard the door shut gently behind her. She stood for a minute or two just to admire the beautiful scenery. A blanket of snow coated every bit of the nature outside. The streets were silent and it looked magical. Her natural skin was snow kissed and her nose was a rosy red. She wore her red Chanel lipstick and some mascara just because she felt like it. And if Cindy had learned anything from this year, it was to go with your gut instinct.

She carried on walking until she felt a rather hard, but soft at the same time, object hit her on the back. She turned around only to see Eric, who was jogging towards her with a big grin on his face. "Hey. What're you doing here?" he asked curiously.

Cindy smiled. "I live here, dopey."

Eric turned red. They started walking together. "So, it's Christmas Eve…any reason whyyou're walking out here? 'Cause you're alone. It's unusual seeing you without your bum-buddy."

Cindy sniggered. "I was actually on my way to see him ya' know. Ask him if he wants to see me tomorrow. He doesn't celebrate Christmas so I kinda need a pre-Christmas sane person to be around. Why are you walking around here by yourself?"

Eric looked down. "Meh, things just aren't going great for me at the moment. I kinda needed a life reflection, ya' know?"

Cindy nodded understandingly. "I don't want to ask 'cause I don't wanna seem nosy but, I'll say this; sometimes you just have to remind yourself that it'll all be okay. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but one day. Say it enough that one day you'll actually believe it. Remind yourself that things have changed. It changed for a reason…people change for a reason. You just have to let go and move on. It's going to be hard and it's gonna feel lonely but just hold on, 'cause who's to say that tomorrow won't be the best day of your life?"

Eric looked at her in amazement, his blue eyes sparkling brighter than she'd ever seen them before. "That is possibly the best advice anyone has ever given me. That was amazing" he whispered quietly.

"Well, I am a pretty amazing person" she replied smugly. There was a moment of silence before Cindy got on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. She stayed there for a few seconds before getting back down and deciding what the hell she was supposed to do now. He looked at her in shock and surprise and happiness and so many other emotions all at once. He looked like a bundle of mess if she was honest.

He gulped before asking with hesitation, "what was that for?"

Cindy smiled to herself. "Just because I wanted to." She carried on walking before looking back at Eric, who was stood there with a dopey look, one hand on his cheek, and said "Merry Christmas, Eric!" She continued to walk to Osman's house, thinking about how the hell he got his skin to feel so damn soft.

She rang the doorbell at Osman's house. Within seconds, the door opened and in front of Cindy stood a tall, slender woman with beautiful, jet-black silky hair (similar to Cindy's, except much longer and not as thick) and a dark tan. Her eyes were a beautiful hazel colour, and she wore a hot pink, heavily embellished kaftan-type dress. "Hello" she spoke politely. She had a very British accent. "How can I help?"

'Really?' Cindy thought. 'Who says that at the door?' She shook her head and replied "I'm looking for Osman."

"Oh. I'm guessing you're…Cindy, right?"

Cindy nodded. The girl smiled and stuck her hand out. "I'm Asriyah. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Yeah, you too I guess" she said as she shook her hand. She assumed she was Osman's older sister, but then again, she could be wrong as Osman never really talked about his family.

"Come in" she said, motioning for her to come in. Cindy stepped inside and gazed around in the massive hallway. The wallpaper was a deep purple covered with a black, velvet embossed flowers and near the ceiling, Arabic writing was inscribed all across at the top in gold. The beige carpet she walked on in her socks was very soft and the whole house felt very homely. Abstract pictures hung on the walls and at the end of the hallway was the kitchen, which looked huge. Just before she entered the kitchen, Osman jumped out from some stairs that she didn't realise were next to the kitchen.

"Cindy! What're you doing here? It's Christmas Eve!"

"I know, Osman. I'm Christian. I think I know when it's Christmas Eve"

Osman rolled his eyes. His hair was all over the place and he had dark bags under his eyes. He wore a dark grey shirt and green plaid pyjama bottoms. "What do you want? I need to have my breakfast." He shoved his way past her into the kitchen and put some Froot Loops for himself in a ceramic bowl. "D'you want some? If I share my food with you Cindy, it means I care. Because I never share my food. Especially Froot Loops."

"Nah I'm good thanks." She took a quick glance at her watch and said "so, you wanna hang out tomorrow? I need someone who isn't going insane right now."

"Is that why you're here?" he asked with his mouth full.

"Yep. But I didn't think I'd be bumping into your 'never-existed' sister" she replied sarcastically.

Osman turned a bright red. "I was going to tell you" he murmured. "Anyway, you sure I won't be intruding?"

"Nah it's fine. My family's totally cool with curry-munching Asians."

"Middle-Eastern. I'm Middle-Eastern" he corrected.

Cindy laughed. "So, where're your parents? I was expecting a dude with a bomb hidden in his beard and a ninja penguin to jump from the ceiling and chop me into little Muslim pieces." Osman gave her an irritated look. She sighed awkwardly. "Still not ready, huh?"

"Nope" he mumbled. "Is that 'ninja-penguin' supposed to be my mum in a burka?"

Cindy nodded. "Sorry, Ozzy. It was a joke. Maybe some other time, huh?"

"Yep" he said under his breath. "Anyway, they're out so…maybe you can meet them tomorrow if you want?"

"You wouldn't mind introducing me to your parents? You sure they won't skewer me on a kebab stick?"

Osman laughed. "No. Gosh you're just my friend. They trust me." Cindy looked down, her expression blank. "In the least rudest way possible, why do you want me to come tomorrow?" he asked. Cindy just looked at him. She didn't really know why she wanted Osman to come other than the fact his presence would be great. Cindy was like the moon-a part of her was always hidden away. She smiled at him before stating that she needed to go. "Come to mine around 12, ok?"

"Sure" he replied. They were at the front door, and before making her way out, Cindy hugged him tightly. He hugged her back slightly awkwardly. She looked at him, her arms still around him and thanked him very quietly before heading out, the image of his warm smile stuck in her head.

She was on her way home before stopping to examine two people in the distance having a snowball fight. She made her way closer, slowly, but closer and stopped when she saw it was Eric and a little girl of about 8 years. She had chestnut brown hair and they were in cute pigtails. She had a baby pink puffy coat on and cute little snowmen mittens. Cindy smiled at them. "Hey" he called. He jogged up to her.

"Who's the little cutie?" she asked.

"Gracie. She's my little sister" he said. She lay on the snow making snow angels.

"Just tell her to cherish this time while she can. Because growing up…well, this shit is not what I expected."

Eric grinned. "And who's to say tomorrow won't be the best day of your life?"

Cindy smiled at him. "Merry Christmas, again, Eric." She walked past before turning around to shout "and a happy new year!"

He stuck a thumb up at her before giving a piggy-back ride to Gracie. And all Cindy could think about was why he still left her lipstick mark on his cheek.

**CHRISTMAS DAY**

Cindy ran down the stairs in her festive fleece pyjamas, her plaits extremely messy and all over the place. She ran into the living room, her grandparents and Wesley's family sitting by the fireplace. Her uncles were arriving later to celebrate with their family when it was time for Christmas dinner. She kissed her grandparents and hugged the twins before making her way into the kitchen to greet her father and Wesley. The strong smell of Cindy's favourite breakfast, scrambled eggs and turkey bacon, hung in the air. "Aren't you going to open your presents now?" Gary asked, taking a sip of orange juice from the carton on the counter.

"I dunno. I kinda just wanna sit and relax." Gary looked a little concerned. "Dad, I'm ok, honestly. I'm just, you know, still feeling a little tired." Gary hugged her before telling her to go and lie on the couch. It's not that Cindy was tired, or not in the Christmas spirit, but that so much had happened in a year. Less than a year, actually. And it was only now she had the time to let it all sink in. She felt happiness, sadness, anger, peace. She felt broken, helpless, but at the same time, stronger than ever. And throughout it all, she always saw a light at the end of what was a very dark tunnel. Or what we call hope. She just needed to absorb everything around her. All the good that was happening. And there was something niggling in the back of her mind that this is not going to last forever. It was _too_ good to last. Because so much was happening at once. She finally had a proper family to belong to, a friend she could relate to. A guy she could feel something towards. And out of nowhere, a wave of emotion swept over her. She couldn't hold it in any longer, whether they were tears of joy or sadness, she was cradled by the warm, loving arms of her grandparents.

"Oh what's wrong, cookie?" her grandmother asked quietly. Cindy hated being called that. But this time it was ok. Calming. Cindy sat up and wiped the tears away. She began to laugh. "Nothing Grandma. It's just me being silly. Honestly." She got up and sat with the twins on the floor, who already began unwrapping their presents. She took one which had a label with her name scrawled across it in big letters. It was from Uncle Gregory, Gary's younger brother. She was halfway through unwrapping it when she stopped. She was looking at Caleb, who was in the middle of unwrapping the present she got him. And when she saw the way his face lit up, her heart melted. Why he wanted a Nerf gun was beyond her, but he was happy, and that was what she considered to be one of the best gifts in the world. He hugged her tightly, almost strangling her. Cindy wrapped her arms around him tightly, before gently letting go and whispering "you have fun with that, ok? Really enjoy it. Don't grow up too fast. It's a trap." Caleb let out a quiet giggle, and then ran into the kitchen to show his mum. 'Poor kid…how sad is it that he thinks I'm joking' Cindy thought. Anyway, she refused to make herself sad when it was Christmas day. She slapped on a smile and finished unwrapping her present from Uncle Gregory, gasping at what she saw. It was a Tiffany's box. She used all the will power she had to not tear up. It wasn't the fact it was from Tiffany's. Her father had a job that meant she could afford to buy 10 things from Tiffany's if she wanted. But it was the thought. He didn't forget. When Cindy was 10, she asked her mum for a Tiffany's necklace to wear at her elementary school prom. Like Evie always did, she promised her one thing and did another. She brought herself one instead of Cindy, with Cindy's birthday money. Without any idea how on Earth Uncle Gregory found out, he promised her she would get one soon. Cindy didn't think much of it after what her mother did. Just another empty promise really. But he remembered. 6 years later, he remembered. And that's really why it was the thought that always counted.

Cindy grinned to herself. 'Uncle Greg gets the special hug today' Cindy thought. She unwrapped the rest of the presents, until she was surrounded by loads of make-up, clothes, sweets, gift-cards and other gifts she'd received from her parents. "Cindy, can you come into the hallway for a sec?" Gary shouted. Cindy got up and met her dad, who was stood there looking a little anxious.

"You ok dad?" Cindy asked. She, too, started to feel anxious.

"Yeah. I got a letter from your school" he said. He pulled the letter out from his pocket and gave it to her. "I didn't want to open it. Just in case it was something good."

All the bad things Cindy had done in her life began to flood in her mind, though she couldn't quite process it all. Nothing she did that was bad was ever at school, apart from the April Fools prank, which her dad had already been informed about, and she had already been punished for.

She began to open the letter, very slowly. "Dear Parent of Cindy Walker blah blah blah" Cindy muttered. Her eyes than widened with excitement. "OH MY GOD! I'M GRADUATING!" Gary looked a mixture of emotions. Shocked, proud, excited.

"THIS IS BRILLIANT!" He yelled. "AW THAT'S MY GIRL!" he grabbed her and hugged her hard before rubbing her head vigorously.

Wesley poked her head around the corner. "What's with all the yelling?"

"Cindy's graduating! My baby's graduating early!"

Cindy began to turn red now. She wasn't used to her dad referring to her in fatherly terms. "Ok guys, let's not make a big deal yet. They said that I can graduate at the end of the year if I get the required grades."

"Well congratulations. Really. I'm proud. Just work hard now" Wesley said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Gary went back into the kitchen to check on the turkey. "Did you get my present? Well one half of my present."

"Yeah, the dress. It's beautiful. Thanks" Cindy replied.

"Good. Because now I'm taking you upstairs to get you ready."

Cindy giggled nervously. "No you're ok. Honestly."

"Oh come on! It'll be fun! Dinner won't be ready in 2 hours anyway." She grabbed her arm and took her upstairs. Cindy's attempts to put her off the idea clearly didn't work. And with that, Cindy was upstairs for almost 2 hours, getting herself ready.

Cindy grabbed her phone to text Osman to come around now. She took one last glance in the mirror before making her way out. She stood at the top of the stairs and took a deep breath, before slowly making her way down. She heard a knock on the door, and Wesley quickly rushed to open it for Osman, who was dressed very smartly. She winked at Cindy, who was halfway down, before going into the kitchen. Osman looked around before spotting Cindy. His mouth hung open. 'Damn. I thought this was a good idea' she thought. She looked at Osman again. 'Ok I'm done.' She started to turn red. "You can close your mouth now, dopey."

"Oh, sorry" he said. "It's just , you're so beautiful. In a friendly way. You really should show that more often." Cindy smiled at him. Her dark silky hair was curled elegantly, framing her face perfectly. She wore a black skater dress, which had a flocked, baroque bodice and a layered chiffon skirt. She wore black ribbed over the knee socks over sheer black tights, paired with shiny Mary-Janes. She wore a bronze-smokey eye with a bold red lip. "Thanks" Cindy replied shyly.

"Look, can I wait outside?" he asked.

"Why? You're in now, might as well meet my dad properly." Cindy started to make her way to the kitchen, but stopped immediately when she saw Osman wasn't going to move any time soon. "Are you coming?"

"No" he replied bluntly. Cindy rolled her eyes. "I don't like socializing. Or people. And I hate socializing with people. Animals are more my field thanks."

She walked up to him and grabbed his arm, but he shook her off. "Look, let's just go out while we can. They don't know I'm here."

"Osman, come on! Stop being stubborn!"

"No! I prefer to stay in my comfort zone. There's chocolate in the comfort zone."

Cindy scoffed. "Nothing ever happens inside the comfort zone" she said. He looked at her with a dumb look. He followed her to the kitchen once he realised he couldn't win.

"Hey Cindy and…?" Gary said, trailing off when he saw Osman. "I'm pretty sure I've seen you before? On St Patricks day or something?" He wiped his fingers on the kitchen towel. Osman gave him an awkward smile.

"Don't be shy. Just tell him what you told me" Wesley chimed in.

"Which was?" Cindy asked.

"Just that you're friends."

"Oh cool. I'm Gary, Cindy's father" he said, sticking his hand out. Cindy nudged Osman, who begrudgingly shook Gary's hand.

"This is Osman" Cindy said, introducing him to her dad. "Apparently it's spelt Osman but pronounced Usman, but I never say it like that."

"Oh, Usman. May I ask where you're from?"

There was a moment of silence before Cindy answered for him.

"Iraq."

"Oh cool. So you're a Muslim, I'm guessing?"

Osman looked at him bewilderingly. Gary chuckled, Wesley joining in shortly afterwards. "Don't be scared. We're not all narrow-minded, you know."

Osman smiled. "Pleasure to meet you, sir"

"Ooh British too!" Wesley said. "Even cooler."

They made their way to the living room, Gary introducing Osman to everyone, with Cindy smiling the whole time.

They sat on the wall near the frozen river of Ohio near the shopping centre, munching on snacks that Cindy had got for Christmas. Cindy loved all of the presents she got for Christmas, but the one she loved the most was the Polaroid camera her dad got her. It was a cream and black colour and had a rainbow coloured strip down the middle, the lens on it was huge. "Can I take a picture of us?" Cindy asked, her mouth full of Hershey's kisses.

"Of us eating?" he muffled. He was eating sticky toffee and he was really struggling to speak.

"Yes."

"Ok" he mumbled. She held the camera in front of them and took the picture. It came out almost immediately. Cindy held the picture in front of them. "Not bad. Although I look like I'm dying of hypothermia."

"Same. We look pretty hot for dead people." Even though they wrapped up tightly, heavy winter colds were still lingering about. Everywhere was covered in snow. It was dead quiet and no one was to be seen walking the streets as everyone was celebrating Christmas with their families. Cindy jumped of the wall and tucked the photo in the pocket of her oversized grey hoodie. "Ready to go back to mine?" she asked.

"No not really. You're grandma's a bit full on. She still thinks we travel by camel."

Cindy smiled. She grabbed his arm and tugged him off. "Come on. You can prove to her you guys drive in gold Bentleys." And with that they left, the wall behind them scattered with Wonka sweet wrappers and empty Tootsie rolls.

The table was laid out, every inch of it covered with side dishes, mini snacks and other edible treats. There was a big space in the middle reserved for the turkey. While everyone was sat at the table socializing, Cindy was in the kitchen helping Gary and Wesley prepare the turkey. "Cindy could you help me take these desserts?" Wesley asked, licking melted chocolate off her fingers. Cindy nodded. Once she'd helped Wesley take the giant cookie cheesecake and the warm fudge puddings to the table, she helped Gary bring the turkey in. As Cindy drizzled a bit of lemon juice on the turkey, Gary lit the candles and turned the lights off. Before tucking into their meals, they prayed to God, and to Jesus, and prayed for their family and friends and their safety.

"The turkey is really on point this year, dad" Cindy muffled, her mouth full of turkey.

"Your outfit's really on point this year" he replied.

"That's the work of brilliance" Wesley chimed. Cindy turned red. She went from potato to cake in less than a day, and she'd never felt so damn good about herself.

In less than an hour, the dinner table was full of empty plates and the remains of the turkey tray were only a few crumbs.

"Greg, Mikey, you have a lot to live up to next Christmas" Grandpa Nicholas joked. There was barely a chuckle as everyone was too full to do anything but sit there and moan.

"Thanks dad. You heard it Mike…Greg…a lot to live up to." He burped, earning a few groans of disgusts from everyone around the table. Gary stood up to what was presumably a toast. He clinked the glass and told everyone to shut up. "10 months ago, I met someone very special." Gary looked at Wesley and winked at her before carrying on. "I met the love of my life at a party Cindy threw here. And after a heavy break-up, I didn't ever think I could feel like that again, but someone better came along." Wesley's eyes began to water, thought she didn't cry just yet. "With it being Christmas, it's time to make memories. And appreciate them. From this, I've learned that life is way too short to just hold back. You just need to go with it." Gary took a small midnight blue, velvet box out of his trouser pocket, and got down on one knee. "Wesley Badger, the love of my life, will you do the honour of being my wife?"

Then it happened. She broke down into happy, happy tears. She nodded vigorously, her hands cupping her mouth. "I will" she said softly. "And not just to change my awful second name." Everybody laughed, and before Gary even had time to hug her, Cindy got up to toast them. "To the newly engaged!" she cheered.

"TO THE NEWLY ENGAGED!" everybody cheered after her. What wonderful way to end Christmas.

It was nearing 7:00pm, the sky a deadly black. The streets were lit by the few street lamps that were scattered about, and the cold was still lingering about. There was even more snow than there was when they went out, so much that Cindy and Osman had to trudge through it. Cindy wore her black woollen skater coat with a white fur collar. She'd got it for Christmas as a replacement of her shabby old duffle coat, but she was still keeping that one too. Cindy exchanged her Mary-Janes for her new black high top converse, a Christmas present from her grandmother. Osman wore his collared shirt under his grey sweatshirt with some black trousers and a thick black duffle coat.

They sat on a bench situated under a lamppost on the way to Osman's house. "Your dad's little poem proposal thing was really cute." He said.

"Thanks. He told me it wasn't planned. Weird how it all just fit in." Osman looked down and kicked some snow, his expression rather sad. "What's the matter?" Cindy asked, concerned.

Osman faked a smile. "Nothing really. Just funny how things kinda fit for people without really meaning to. Especially because things never really go to plan in life, do they?"

Cindy scoffed. "Story of my life, huh?"

Osman gave her a genuine smile. Small, but genuine. But it was more of a sad genuine. "You know, this time last year, I really struggled to accept myself. Had it not been for you, I wouldn't be speaking a word right now."

"If people have something to say about you or your life, it says a lot about theirs. When people say something bad about me or judge me like they know me, I don't ever feel upset…because dogs will always bark when they don't know a person."

Osman laughed. "You always know what to say."

Cindy smiled at him. "If you ever feel alone, just remember you have a family, you have 1 friend, and a box of Froot Loops waiting for you at home. Now that's a damn lot of love only a very few are blessed with.

"Thanks" he replied. He looked at the ground again, this time a great big smile on his face.

"Oh my God. Your jacket's from Saint Laurent?" Cindy said, her mouth wide open.

"Yeah. A present from my dad."

"Jesus, there's just no pleasing you! You can afford _Saint Laurent _for crying out loud!"

"Money can't buy happiness."

"Well it sure as hell ain't gonna make me sad."

Osman stood up to straighten his trousers. Cindy got up as well, and before she say goodbye to him, he hugged her. Voluntarily. Cindy made a mental note to mark this on her calendar, as Osman hated physical contact. He loosened up, letting go yet still holding on.

"You and I…we're more than just friends. We're like a really small gang." And without another word, he left, his words touching her heart.

**AND WE CHEER TO THE NEW YEAR**

_**(AGAIN)**_

Gary was making turkey bacon and scrambled eggs for everyone, the smell hung strongly in the air. Caleb was eating Fruit Loops while Cindy had just finished plaiting Bonnie's hair. It was New Year's Eve so she was curling it for her naturally for the NY fireworks display they were attending tomorrow. Wesley emerged in a white tank top, lilac pyjama bottoms and a lilac silk robe. "Check it out babe, you're in the newspaper." Gary set the plates down on the kitchen table and took the newspaper off Wesley. He scanned through the article and then put the paper in the bin. He looked sort of disheartened, but he was hiding it well enough for no one else to question. But Cindy knew her dad, so she dared to ask. "What did it say dad?"

"Oh nothing. You know what people are like. Love putting other people down."

"Just ignore it dad. Look how much we've, _you've_, achieved in the past year. Maybe you should think about where we were this time last year." And before she knew it, Cindy was doing what she told Gary to do. It was scary how much they'd gone through. Gary lost his job and was almost on the verge of depression. Cindy made a friend. A _real _friend. Like an actual friend-who wouldn't even talk for the half the year because of his own problems. Cindy met a guy who for the first time in her entire life, wasn't an arrogant douchebag and he _actually_ liked her back. She lost her mother, but she gained a family. Sometimes she had to question whether this was reality or not. Everything was going so well and she was finally happy. And life had a tendency to screw up whenever you were happy.

"Cindy you ok?" Wesley asked. She hadn't realised she was day-dreaming, and everyone was staring at her.

"Yeah. Just thinking."

"That's a first" Gary muttered. "Eat your breakfast" Gary said. He picked up his strip of bacon and said in a high pitched voice "Hey Wesley, don't go 'bacon' my heart."

Caleb giggled. Wesley picked up a piece of scrambled egg with her fork and replied back in a deep voice "I couldn't even if I 'fried'." Then they burst into a fit of giggles like the couple of children they were. Cindy looked at them with a disgusted/uncomfortable face, not that they noticed. As annoying as they were being, everyone was happy. And to her, that's really all that mattered.

Cindy was on her way to Osman's house. She had her hair in a messy bun, which ironically took her half an hour to look perfect. She wore a plain, oversized grey jumper with black drawstrings with her black riding pants and vagabonds. One of Cindy's new year's resolutions was to dress differently, and it took a hell of a lot persuading from Wesley for her to start it a day earlier. Even though it wasn't girly or 'dressy' Cindy felt very self-conscious. She preferred her scruffy jeans and t-shirt. It was simple and didn't take much effort, but Cindy wanted to try new things. Be different. And even though changing her dress sense was starting small, it was a step forward. Soon she'll be able to do crazy things like socializing or meeting new people. Wow. That thought would've scared Cindy a year ago.

She heard an all too familiar loud gasp from behind her. She turned around and smiled at a sarcastically shocked Eric who grew finer as the days passed by. He was with Gracie, who was hiding shyly behind his leg. "Hello cutie" Cindy said.

"Oh stop" Eric mocked.

Cindy laughed. "You wish." Although he did look seriously cute today. His brunette hair was the perfect kind of messy, his blue eyes sparkled more than usual and the fact he was in grey sweatpants, converse and a white t-shirt made him more loveable. He was clearly checking her out. And although Cindy should've felt flattered, she felt nervous and slightly uncomfortable. She always believed in dressing modestly because self-respect was important, but she wasn't exactly exposing much of her body. That, and she was _not_ used to guys checking her out. Especially hot guys. Funny, because she was taught that opposites attract. At last, it finally did.

"Mark this day in your calendar ladies and gents" he joked. "Cindy's wearing different clothes."

"Don't make me regret it" she replied jokingly. They began to walk together, Gracie walking beside Eric in total silence.

"It's not a bad thing! I guess you could say you've gone up on the confidence scale. Anyway, I take it you're off to see your bum-buddy?"

"Why have you gotta dig at him all the time? Are you jealous 'cause he's cooler than you?"

"I'm jealous of those amazing cheekbones and tan."

"Pretty hot, isn't he?"

Eric scrunched his face in disgust. Cindy burst into laughter. "I'm joking! I don't think I can ever see him in that way. And to be honest, I'm way outta his league." Eric looked relieved for about 2 seconds, then quickly hid it. "Anyway, going anywhere special?"

"I'm taking Gracie to the park."

"She had that look again. A sure thing that pain will come." She whispered.

Cindy looked at Eric. "Pain?"

He hesitated. "Just a poem she learnt at school…"

"I know that poem" she said in sudden realization. "Eric…"

"No. Cindy." He rolled his eyes, then told Gracie to walk ahead slowly. "It's not what you think."

"So you're parents are ok?"

"Look, they're just divorcing ok? It's none of your business."

"Well I'll make it mine!"

Eric let out a frustrated groan. "I'm cool with it ok? Can we just drop the subject?"

"You're clearly not. And neither is your sister. She was crying, wasn't she? That's why her eyes were red."

Eric looked exasperated. "Can we just not talk about this? You don't need this."

"And neither do you!" she interjected. She was still oblivious as to why she cared. Eric was just a 'crush'. She didn't need to burden herself with his problems. But then she needed to help him. She knew how abandonment felt, but she had no one to help her. Maybe she could help him…

"WHO CARES ABOUT WHAT I WANT?! NO ONE DOES, AND NEITHER SHOULD YOU" he yelled.

"MAYBE IF YOU STOPPED ACTING LIKE SUCH AN ASS AND OPENED YOUR MIND A LITTLE WIDER THEN YOU'D SEE THAT THE PERSON WHO CARES IS STANDNING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!" she yelled back.

"DON'T CALL ME AN ASS."

"OH SORRY, _ASS._ HOW ABOUT ASSHOLE, OR JACKASS."

"OK MORON. HOW ABOUT THAT HEY? OR SHITHEAD. OR HOLY-SWEET-SON-OF-A-BITCH-WHO-LIKES-TO-EAT-HER-CRACKERS-WITH-CREAM-INSTEAD-OF-CHEESE!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" she yelled.

"I DON'T KNOW!" he cried. "I just don't know anymore" he broke down. Cindy let out a deep breath.

"Feeling even a little ok now?" she asked him quietly.

He looked up and gave her a sad smile. "I know what you were trying to do."

"Then you know I didn't mean any of that stuff. Now answer my question."

"I feel…less burdened, I guess."

She smiled at him. "Look Eric. When my mom left me I had no one to talk to. I didn't have Wesley. I had no idea Osman existed. And you were never in the picture. Even if I can't help, if you need to vent your frustration out I'll be here."

"Getting it off my chest isn't gonna get my parents back together."

"Look Eric, I don't really know what you're going through in terms of context, but the situation is very similar. Sometimes you just need to realise that things happen for a reason. Your life is gonna be so much better without all this negativity they're giving out. In the same way my life became so much better without my mom."

"Wow. Such an optimist."

They sat on the pavement. "You know, I was at this debate club once. It was about depression or something, how it could be avoided. And this one chick said 'a flower can't grow without a little rain.' And I was like 'but isn't it true that a little too much rain can also kill the flower?' I'm telling you, biggest round of applause I've ever heard."

"And this is supposed to help me how?"

"Erm…I don't know." She replied awkwardly. "But what I do know is that, together or not, your parents love you, and whatever decision they make will benefit you in the long run."

"How are you not a therapist yet?"

"I guess you can't be a therapist if you're the one who needs therapy" she answered rather sadly, looking down and twiddling her thumbs.

"Is this why you dressed like a hobo for the past year? Because it's not about how big your boobs are or how wide your thigh gap is. What matters is the thigh gap in your heart." He winked at her.

She looked up and slanted her eyes. "But hearts don't have thighs…"

The smile from his face vanished. "Shut the fuck up." They both burst into laughter. And before anything else could be said, Gracie returned, grabbing Eric's hand and complaining about when they were going to get to the park. "Right, well until next time I guess." They both stood up, and before they left, Eric kissed Cindy where her ear was. She looked at him with wide eyes, her face turning a bright red colour. And if it hadn't been for Gracie's incessant whining, it may have actually happened. Cindy might have actually had her first kiss with the guy she genuinely liked who genuinely liked her back. "Keep being you Cindy" he whispered before strolling off with Gracie. Cindy stared at them for ages. So long that she didn't even realised she was staring at a blank space when they disappeared out of sight. She didn't even know who put the hot in psychotic, her or Eric. What she did know, however, was that was the greatest way to end what started as a shit year.

Osman answered the door and gasped in mock surprise. "Wow Cindy. Almost didn't recognise you in those new clothes!"

Cindy smirked at him. "Ready to fuck shit up?"

"Cindy, we're only going to Dunkin' Donuts, and at least wait until we get there." She still smirked at him. She walked in and slipped her shoes off. "Just wait in the living room; I'll be ready in 2 minutes."

She walked in and saw two people, a man and a women, sat at opposite ends of the room looking very anti-social. 'I guess that's what marriage does to you' Cindy thought. Of course they were Osman's parents. She wasn't really sure whether or not she should be surprised. They certainly weren't what she expected. His dad was sat on the single, cream leather sofa in a black t-shirt and grey checked pyjama bottoms. He had a very dark tan and a very short beard and moustache. His eyes were big and his nose was long and thin, his bushy eyebrows taking up most of his forehead space. His mother was sat at the other end of the room on the dining table on a MacBook, her scarf wrapped around her torso instead of her head, exposing her long, dark brown, silky hair. She too was very tanned. She wore a black long sleeve top with lilac checked pyjama bottoms. She could now see the extreme similarities between his sister and her mum. 'Ok Cindy, make a good first impression. Don't mess this up.' "At least we know where Osman gets his tan from" she spoke up amongst the silence, then gave a nervous laugh. Well didn't she feel like a tit.

They both looked up, and it was Osman's mum who spoke up first. "Oh hello there. You must be Cindy, Osman's friend, right?" She had a thick British accent just like Osman, which for some reason surprised her. They really didn't fit in her stereotypical Arab group. Cindy nodded nervously. "Hello, I'm Osman's father." He put the paper down and got up to shake her hand.

"Erm, salaami. No! shit…" she giggled nervously.

They smiled. "Nice to meet you" he replied. "Would you like anything to eat?"

Cindy shook her head. "I'm good thanks."

Osman entered and something within Cindy felt relieved. Why did she feel so nervous? "We're going now, I'll text you when I get there." He kissed both his parents on the cheek before leaving with Cindy, who also waved goodbye to them. Once they were out Cindy let out a sigh of relief. "You all right?" Osman asked. "You're sweating."

"Yeah thanks. I don't why but I felt so nervous when I saw your parents. I genuinely thought I was going to have a panic attack." And that's when the headache came. But it was minor, so Cindy just shrugged it off.

"It's fine, take a breather." He rubbed her back, and strangely enough, she found it comforting.

"I'm ok. Seriously, can we go? I'm really hungry, maybe that's why."

Osman smiled. "Ok. Oh and Cindy, just because now I know you have designer make-up, you're paying for your own food."

Cindy grinned at him, and together they made their way to Dunkin' Donuts.

They walked out of Dunkin' Donuts, Cindy with a bit of chocolate around her mouth and Osman with a little beer belly. "Urgh, I'm so hungry" Cindy moaned, licking the chocolate off the corners of her mouth.

"But…you just ate…"

Cindy gave Osman a disapproving look. "Yeah, so?" She let out a loud burp. "Oh God. These are new pants aswell."

Osman rolled his eyes at her. "What's wrong with them?"

"They're tight! I can feel them tightening! The calories are sewing them tighter as we speak!"

Osman ignored her ridiculousness. "Are you going to the fireworks display tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Actually I was just gonna ask you if you wanted to come."

"Um, I can only meet you for a few minutes. I'm going with my family so they'll be expecting me to stay with them."

"Osman…do you really think it wise that an Arab family attend a firework display in which it requires you to count down until a big explosion occurs?" Cindy chuckled at her own lame joke.

"Shut up Cindy."

Cindy held her hands up mockingly. "Ok! Jeez I thought we were close enough now that I can insult you with you feeling offended." Osman just looked away. "Osman, is everything ok? You've been off ever since we arrived" she asked seriously.

Osman sighed. "I'm ok…well, no I'm not, really." Cindy stared at him, waiting for him to continue, to which Osman responded by huffing and sighing. "I'm just kind of gonna miss you when you leave school. A part of me really believes I'm gonna lose you. And I don't want that. I don't."

Cindy rubbed his back for comfort. "Osman" she spoke very quietly now. "I still have to get the required grades if I'm going to graduate. And even if I do, I could never leave you. You're not just my friend, you're my soul-mate. You changed my life. And for the better."

Osman smiled at her. "You'll see me after school every day, won't you?"

"Course I will!" She threw her arms around Osman and hugged him tightly. Although it's always him thanking her, she returned the favour this time. If anything, she had much more to thank him for than he did to her. Osman loosened his grip, and said "promise me you won't forget about me?" He stuck his pinky out. Cindy smiled at him, sealing the promise. "I promise" she replied.

Cindy threw her oversized leather gilet over her grey jumper. She couldn't be bothered to dress smartly, and as much as she wanted to be in the mood for watching colourful explosions in the sky, she just wasn't. She'd felt very strange all day, like she hadn't even existed. Like she was in a dream… An existential crisis if you will. She'd felt lethargic. She just wanted to jump in bed and sleep for a week straight with no disruptions.

She grabbed her L'Oreal lip lacquer and briefly applied it on before heading downstairs to a happy Bonnie who was waiting at the door for her to loosen her braids, which is what she did when saw her. "Thanks" she said happily, and then ran into the living room to watch TV with Caleb. She checked her phone for any texts that Osman might have sent her, but it was just Eric wishing her a happy new year. 'Happy New Year x' she replied back. She pressed send and put her phone in the back pocket of her jeans. "YOU GUYS READY?" she yelled. Wesley emerged from the living room with a dark purple trench coat which flowed past her knees. "You're dad's just making a few calls. We'll be leaving in a few minutes." Cindy just stared at her, zoning out and completely ignoring what she had just said. "You ok? You look pale" Wesley asked, stroking her cheek.

"Yeah yeah I'm good. Erm, you know when we get there, is it ok if I could talk to Osman for a few minutes? Right before the countdown."

Wesley looked a bit put off. "Oh Cindy. You saw him today why couldn't you just tell him what you wanted to then?"

"Because I forgot to" she lied. Well, half lied. She did forget to tell him. But another part of her didn't really want to bring it up.

"Cindy, we're going as a family. You can see him tomorrow and talk to him all you want."

For some reason, Cindy felt angry. Angry and annoyed. When did she suddenly begin to control her every move?

"I'm going to see him, Wesley. It's for a few minutes. Jesus I'm not gonna stay with him forever."

Wesley rolled her eyes. "You're too attached to that boy…really, Cindy, it's worrying."

If anything that just pissed Cindy off more. Wesley went back into the living room, and Cindy to one corner. She leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. She felt her chest begin to constrict, her heart beating super-fast, almost palpitating. She took deeper breaths, becoming slower each time. Her body was sweating profusely and her hands were shaking. And out of nowhere, what started as a mild headache exploded into a migraine. And before she knew it, her eyes rolled to the back of her head, darkness blinding her, and she collapsed with a thud on the floor. She was unconscious for what felt like hours, but was a minute or two before she slowly, very slowly, opened her eyes, the light blinding her temporarily. Her eyesight was blurry for a few seconds before it focused on Gary and Wesley's heads hovering above her. Her chest felt open and her headache was gone. Only now she could hear Gary's voice asking her if she was ok, while Wesley was very gently stroking her face to comfort her. She was silent for a few minutes before properly regaining her balance. She sat up and looked around her. Everything seemed so different. "Cindy, can you hear me? Is everything ok?" Gary asked. Cindy nodded, but Gary didn't believe her. He quickly pulled his phone out, but before he could dial 911 and hold it to his ear, she snatched the phone from him.

"I don't want to go to the hospital."

"Cindy, you need to get checked out" Wesley spoke to her very softly.

"I don't want to" she replied breathlessly. She was now gasping for breaths. She didn't realise how long she was holding her breath in for.

Gary looked seriously pissed. "Cindy, I don't care if you have a fear of hospitals. You _need_ to get checked out."

"I don't need to" she said, irritated. "I just fainted, nothing serious."

"That was not a faint, Cindy. How stupid do you think I am? You could've had a seizure!" he replied seriously.

"It was just a faint!" she exclaimed.

"You're going to the hospital."

"I DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL!" she yelled in frustration. She quickly stood up and lost her balance, leaning against the wall gasping for air. She still felt weak at the knees, but she really didn't want to be near the pair of them right now. "I don't want to go…" she said more quietly. Wesley looked at her pitifully, like she was some lost puppy. "Don't look at me like that. It was a really bad migraine. Please don't make it into something it's not."

Gary gave her a defeated look. "Cindy…it's not going to come to that…"

"And you know that don't you?"

"Cindy, this is not something you can just shrug off!" Wesley interjected.

"I'm not going. If it happens again, feel free to take me. But we're not wasting time. Let's go, we were supposed to leave 10 minutes ago."

"Fine, but I'm carrying you on my back."

Cindy rolled her eyes. She knew her father was joking, no matter how serious he tried to sound. "Whatever" she muttered under her breath. Whatever the hell this was, it was certainly not a 'whatever' matter.

Cindy was carried through the crowds of Ohio park on her dad's back. She didn't want to be, she thought her dad was joking about it, but he clearly wasn't. She felt lowest of the low. "Dad, really this is just embarrassing…"

"Well then you should've gone to the hospital! I'm not letting you walk when you've just collapsed…" he fired back. Like Cindy, he was just not in the mood. Cindy was old enough to make her own decisions, mistake or not, she was also old enough to learn from them too. Gary couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do. But both being the stubborn people they were, it resulted in this disaster.

"Can I get down now?" she asked, irritated.

Gary huffed while letting her down gently. "Go find Osman, I'll be waiting here for Wesley and the kids."

Cindy nodded coldly, then walked off. She'd never felt so pissed off. It's still New Year's Eve, and exactly a year ago today she wished for things to just get better. And it had. So she should be happy. Yet she wasn't. There was something niggling in her head that she just couldn't quite put her finger on or brush off. She shoved through the crowds of mostly already drunken teenagers and adults to find Osman. Instead, she bumped into the last person she wanted to see. And she liked to think that he was with his _lady-friend._ Standing right there was Eric with his arms around this 'friend'. "Oh hey Cindy! Didn't know you were coming tonight" he said. His tone was jolly…too jolly. Jolly enough to make Cindy suspicious about why he was really here.

"Of course you didn't" she said sarcastically, punching his shoulder which was meant to be playful, but did it rather hard. Hard enough to make him rub it to soothe the pain. "So, who's your friend?"

"I'm Alexa" she said, faking a smile and sticking her hand out for Cindy to shake, to which Cindy responded to by simply just staring at her. She took her hand back awkwardly to her side. "I'm actually here as his date."

Cindy tried hard to hide her disappointment. "Oh, Eric. You never once mentioned your girlfriend."

Eric responded with a death glare. Cindy was talking in her fake, sickingly-sweet voice, which meant she was angry. "She's not my girlfriend" he replied flatly.

Alexa looked at him in hurt. "We've been dating for 3 months."

A very tight knot in Cindy's stomach formed. '3 months? 3 _fucking_ months? Why the hell was he flirting with me all this time.'

Eric smiled at her awkwardly. "Babe, will you go get us some drinks?" She walked off in a huff, leaving Cindy alone with Eric. 'Ew, babe?' Cindy thought. 'More like Babe the pig.' And here came the death glare again. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Cindy shrugged. "I don't know, sometimes I ask myself the same thing." Eric looked at her in disbelief. "I don't know why you're staring at me like that. I mean, I guess I probably deserve it because I'm just your bit on the side."

"Oh give me a break. We were never going out!"

Cindy shook her head sceptically. "You know what Eric. Fuck you. And I guess fuck me too. Because I let you make me feel special. When all I really know why is because you wanted to use me then throw me aside."

Eric looked hurt. Like, 'I-kicked-a-puppy' hurt. "How can you even think that? After everything you heard on Halloween."

"Oh you were probably high off your head!" she shot back. "You know, Eric, I don't even care anymore. I thank God that it never got to the point where we were so close I felt like half a heart without you."

Eric looked down. "Look, I know I should've told you about Alexa. I just didn't know when the right time was."

Cindy shook her head. "Get lost Eric. You had 3 months. I don't even know why I feel hurt, or even bother with this pointless conversation because you're right, we weren't going out, we were nothing. I shouldn't have let myself believe that you actually liked me for me."

"I do! I still do! Look, I still want to be friends!"

"What, so you can kiss me again like you tried to do yesterday? And the time before that?"

Eric looked away. "I was just tired of waiting. You _knew_ I liked you, yet you never did anything to properly show me."

"Eric…I've never had a boyfriend. No boy has ever liked me because look at me. I'm scruffy. I don't have a nice body. I'm not fake because that's what most guys seem to really dig in a girl these days…I don't just let myself get close to anyone because people have a habit of just leaving me especially when I need them the most. But I, well, I really believed you were different. And all the way through this little whatever-the-hell-this-was we had going on; I knew that if anything like this had happened it would hurt like a motherfucker. But I was stupid enough to follow my heart rather than my brain."

Eric sighed in defeat. He was about to say something, but Alexa came back. Cindy walked off before Eric could say anything to her, before talking with disgust to Alexa. She was walking in all sorts of directions, bumping into random people and spilling drinks over. 'Why the hell her?' Cindy thought angrily, hate and jealousy and hurt brewing inside of her. 'Of course he'd go for the half-naked chick. She comes with fake assets.' She didn't know who she hated more; herself for caring or Eric for proving what a prick he was. What the hell made Cindy believe Eric wanted her? Of course he wants the pretty one. The one with a model figure. The one who wore a ton of make-up, even though she didn't need it because she'd look equally pretty without it. The one with big boobs who dresses scantily clad because she had the body for it, and no self-respect. That's the one Eric 'fell' for. Not Cindy. Not the one who'd wear oversized clothes for comfort even if she did look like an obese boy. The one who would love to be loved. The one who looks so damn strong but feels so weak. The one that won't give up on the ones she's devoted to. The one that hoped for a better day, a better life. Eric didn't fall for the one that picks herself up every-time she falls. Apparently Cindy just came with too much 'baggage'.

A voice calling her name disturbed her train wreckage of thoughts. It was Osman, who ran up to her pushing a group of drunk teenagers aside to reach her. "Why do you have the face of a slapped arse?"

"Hi to you to" she said, stealing his bottle of Herkimer Triple Bock, opening it and downing half of it in one gulp.

"Hey! That was for my friend!"

Cindy shrugged. "Whatever. Might as well get drunk as hell since this has been such a shit night."

"Well you're giving me money to buy another one."

Cindy took a $20 note out and shoved it in his hand. "Keep the change" she said taking another swig.

"What's the matter?"

"Well, I started of the night unconscious for 2 minutes and, erm, I saw Eric and his fake ass girl-friend."

"Wow, you're an angry drunk."

Cindy didn't even know what she was when she was drunk. She'd never gotten drunk before. It wasn't her type of thing. Going to parties to see people she hated from her school to get stoned and throw up everywhere wasn't her idea of a perfect night. She preferred staying in bed with a bag of pretzels watching re-runs of Breaking Bad on Netflix.

"I'm not even drunk. I haven't even finished this bottle. I'm just really pissed off." She threw the bottle to the ground, decided she didn't want to get drunk, and then walked in the same direction Osman came to buy another bottle for his friend.

"Cindy, why didn't you go the hospital if you collapsed?"

"Because I didn't need to!" she snapped, although she shouldn't have. It is true friendship what they have because Osman cared more about her health than some feelings she had for a stupid guy. He was a true friend, and that in itself is pretty rare these days. "Sorry" she said looking at the floor in guilt.

"It's ok. I just hope you're ok. It was nothing serious was it?"

"No." She held off a bit before adding that it was a migraine that made her collapse.

Osman put his hand over his mouth. "Cindy, why are you so calm about it?"

"Just leave it Osman." They were in the queue now, which was very long. "My eating patterns just been a bit off lately. I got a migraine from that and my body couldn't take it. Now let's not bring it up again."

"Oh now I'm even more worried!" he cried. "Cindy Walker's eating pattern is off. _Cindy Walker_. The girl who eats cake because it's somebody's birthday in the world."

Cindy tried her best to contain her smile, but failed. "Shut up."

"Anyway, what's happened with Prince Eric and Ursula?"

"Eric has found a fat sea witch who he'll probably throw to one side after sleeping with her" she replied with bitter sarcasm. "To be honest, I have no one to blame but myself. I let myself get too attached. I knew it would end badly. But just the thought that a genuinely nice guy who's not a prick or a douche actually liked me was too tempting. I asked for it. He just toyed with my emotions. And I let him."

"Oh you saw him with Alexa. She's like, 20 you know. Yeah I thought they were just friends. I guess he needed someone to take his frustration out on. Didn't know he'd go for a cougar."

Cindy scoffed. "Cougar. More like Freddie Kruger."

Osman laughed. "Don't blame yourself" he answered consolingly before carrying on. "You're a great girl Cindy. He's really losing out. And I'm not just saying that 'cause you're my best friend. If I could, I would take your tabouleh right here, right now."

Cindy gave him a great big grin. They were almost at the front of the queue. "Honey if I could bring myself to let you do that to me I would."

Osman smiled. "So apparently you wanted to talk to me about something? Your dad told me before telling me where you were."

Cindy looked at him, deciding whether to tell him or not. He'd just over-react, so she shrugged and told him she forgot. And that was it. He just left it. They finally reached the stall to where almost everything that was being sold was gone. He brought beer, glow-in-the-dark bands and glow sticks for both him and Cindy before giving her back the change. "I need to go now. My family are expecting me back and they're probably worried because I've been gone long enough."

"Ok, happy new year" she said while pulling on his cheek.

"Happy new year" he replied, pulling her cheek back. Of course it was easier for him because Cindy had chipmunk cheeks. They waved goodbye before heading back to their families. Wesley and the kids were re-united with Gary, and they looked like one big happy family. Cindy didn't know whether to feel sick or happy. Maybe sick from the disgusting cheap beer she drank when she was with Osman.

"Why do you smell of cheap booze?" Gary asked when he saw Cindy. "I thought I told you you weren't allowed to drink."

"Spur of the moment." He rolled his eyes. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Almost midnight. You tired?"

"Yeah kinda. But it's cool. I'm ok, really" she assured her father when she saw his worried face. And the countdown from 20 had started. And it was really strange to think she was here a year ago when it seemed like yesterday. Time flies. She looked around and her eyes landed on the apartments where her mum used to live. She wondered if she still lived there. She didn't really care though. She was too tired and angry to even keep up with her thoughts. "Remember to cheer loudly!" Wesley shouted to Cindy over all the noise. She put on a smile and joined in with the countdown. "10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!" And before she knew it, her dad was kissing Wesley, the kids were admiring the brilliant fireworks display, and everybody was toasting and spilling alcohol everywhere. So much was happening at once, and all Cindy could do was try her best not to let her eyes shut and sleep for 3 days straight.

They had finally reached home, both Gary and Wesley drunk while Cindy was carrying the kids to the spare bedroom so she could collapse in bed herself. She could hear them singing 'Drunken Love' by Beyoncé to each other in slurs. She was absolutely exhausted even though she just stood there half the time wallowing in her messy thoughts. Thinking was just so tiring. She took her phone out when she felt it buzz in her back pocket. It was Eric, the message reading _'Sorry x'. _She waited 10 minutes before replying, mainly just to not look needy. '_S'ok_'. He replied back immediately. '_No kiss? x'_.

'_no._' she replied. You could feel the bluntness in that message.

'_Urgh I don't get why you're so angry. I'm the one who should be angry at you. I had to hear Alexa mope all night._'

'_I don't really care about Alexa. And at the moment I really couldn't give a shit about how you feel considering I feel a little hurt and broken_.'

He replied by having a massive go at her. Blaming her for not making the first move. Blaming her for playing hard to get. Blaming her for not sharing with him how she really felt about him.

'_Oh piss off_.' And she switched her phone off. Tired from the night, and tired of Eric's bullshit, Cindy kicked her shoes off and fell on her bed, curling herself into a ball as she drifted off to sleep to the sounds of Gary and Wesley singing loudly in drunken slurs.

**EPILOGUE**

It was the beginning of what could be Cindy's last semester at school. She had studied her ass off for her finals and in a few days she'd get her results back. She walked to school with her earphones dangling around her neck. Her hair was in bunches because she felt in a pre-school mood. She threw on an oversized forest green cable knit Wesley got her from Abercrombie and Fitch, her skinnies and some tan leather Chelsea boots. Cindy had stuck to her New Years resolution of dressing differently-a wild streak for her. And even though she had followed to this completely, she either dressed super girly and looked like she made an effort, or she dressed like a 40 year old homeless man. Somehow, she'd managed an in-between, which was rare. When she saw Osman waiting for her at the school gates, she threw her earphones in her satchel and ran to him. "She finally arrives!" he exclaimed mockingly. She playfully punched his shoulder and then they walked through the school grounds together. "So, you get your results back in a few days."

Cindy shrugged. If this was Osman making small talk then she just wasn't feeling it. "Guess so."

"Aren't you excited or nervous _at all_?"

Cindy stopped to look at him. "Osman, let it be. I revised my ass off for this. If luck was on my side, then good. Because that means I won't have to become a stripper. If it isn't, then I honestly couldn't care. Because really, I'm one of those people who revises so hard and it's just never my day when I end up with a shit result."

"Cindy, don't feel so down."

"I'm not feeling down. I'm just preparing myself for the worst. It's so unfair how people like Stacy don't even pick up a book and everything comes to them. Like why does she get to be super bitchy and horrible and get everything in life and I'm just a lump of unwanted potato who does the best she can to make things right and things just end up shittier." Wow. Cindy did not plan to start her day like this. Since when did she ever dive into the deep end. It was almost always 100% a territory she wanted to leave well alone.

After a minute or two of silence, finally reaching Cindy's locker, Osman spoke up. "Cindy…are you ok? Because you've really been off these past few weeks. I assumed it was just the stress of the exams. But now I've come to think about it, you haven't really been yourself since New Years…is it to do with Eric?"

Something within Cindy stirred. 'Time to think about it?' she asked herself quietly. 'Eric?' She shook her head. "Why the hell would I care what Eric thinks."

"Well, you did like him. Like, _like like_ him."

Cindy rolled her eyes. "I couldn't give a crap about him." And it's sad that she had to convince herself those words she'd said were true. It was true she was angry at him. But she didn't stop caring. And that scared her. Because she'd never felt this way about another human being who was of no relevance or relation to her. I mean, whether he was in her life or not, she got along just fine. She didn't really need him. Although his presence would be of a lot of help to her current situation, which she did not want to discuss with Osman. And the fact they hadn't properly talked since New Years didn't help. And having those unfortunate coincidences of bumping into someone you're trying to convince yourself you have absolutely no feelings for made things even more difficult for Cindy. She missed him, a lot. And she hated herself for it. Because without even doing anything, he made her feel special when she was in his presence. And it sucked she couldn't feel like that anymore. She was torn between staying pissed off at him or just giving him a great big apology hug and admit she was over-reacting. I mean, Osman was great company. He was her best friend. But Eric made her feel a different type of special. The wanker.

"You know, your eyes tell me something different."

'Oh screw you and your knack for always being right Osman.' "Will you just drop it. I could either become a successful English Lecturer, or a McDonalds waitress at this point. Eric really isn't the reason I'm in a stupid mood."

"Then what is it?" Osman asked cautiously. Cindy didn't answer. She had a lingering feeling in her head that Osman already knew. "Cindy, have you collapsed again since New Years?" He narrowed his eyes at her, hopefully making her feel pressured enough to make her crack and tell him the truth.

Cindy slammed her locker door and looked at the ground. "No" she answered bluntly. Then she looked up at him, dead in the eye. "I'm ok. Stop worrying." He sighed in defeat. The truth is, he had a lot to worry about. A lot of things had happened since she collapsed. She'd been getting frequent headaches which got worse and worse as they days passed by. She felt nauseated and dizzy most of the time, but she was never actually sick, which was a sign of hope. She felt so light-headed most of the time that it was such a surprise for her that she hadn't collapsed or fainted since, which was another up-side. But now she had glasses, which she'd quickly take off whenever she saw Osman. It slowly seemed to be losing its effect because her eyesight was getting so terribly blurry. Thankfully it comes once in a while. But when it comes it hits hard. And it's even better that her eyesight was fine every time Osman was around, because she didn't need him asking pointless questions. "I need to go to the bathroom. Meet here at break?"

"Sure" Osman murmured, still not entirely convinced by her answer. He walked in the opposite direction, leaving Cindy alone to her thoughts. And right now she needed a good burrito or something. Because who doesn't need that once in a while?

The next few months flew by in a blur. Cindy had got her results and was absolutely ecstatic because she was going to graduate. Cindy Walker was going to _graduate_. This meant she didn't need to go to school every day and see everyone she hated and she got a 1 year break to just relax and absorb the peace and contentment around her. She had got a B in science, an A in maths and history and an A* in English and art. She had never felt so happy. Her hard work had paid off, and she was over the moon. But graduation had come quicker than she thought, and she hadn't prepared her speech. Before she knew it, she was standing in the huddle off 12th graders who were also graduating. Her gown was a deep blue with gold piping. She made an effort to look good since she was going to have a lot of photos taken of her today. And so she wore natural make-up, which oddly enough required a lot of make-up to achieve this 'no make-up' look. Her hair was straight and very shiny and she was more prepared for this than anything she'd ever been prepared for before. She was stood behind the stage and smiled when she saw the look on Gary and Osman's faces. About an hour and a half had passed before they started to hand out the certificates, and Cindy was up next. She was told to keep her speech short and sweet. And that's exactly what she did when she planned it in her head before her name was called out. But when she stood on the podium her mind went completely blank. She was half hoping Kanye West would jump on stage and interrupt her speech. She neared her mouth to the microphone, and then cleared her throat. "It is an absolute honour that I, Cindy Walker, am graduating. And I have to thank all of my 2 friends out there!" she cheered, pointing to Gary and Osman, who were whistling amongst the crowd who clapped dully. "And I guess I have to thank myself as well. Because without myself, I wouldn't be me." She looked at her dad, who was smiling proudly. "And erm, my fellow students because of the strong motivation you gave to get away from all of you and now I NEVER HAVE TO SEE YOU AGAIN! Peace out, bitchiatchos." Then she ran off the stage to what was going to be total silence had Osman and Gary not been cheering for her very loudly. Everyone had accepted their certificates and made their speeches and it was time for the photos. And then it was over. She got great big hugs from her father and Osman and she took her Polaroid out to snap this moment. And it wasn't long before she had to take her camera out again to capture another special moment. She was in Hawaii for her father's wedding which was to take place on a beautiful beach which he rented for the special occasion. Cindy wore a floral drop waist dress with some small heels. Wesley looked beautiful as always. Instead of wearing traditional white, she wore her silky green wrap dress; the dress she wore when she first met Gary on St. Patricks day. How sentimental. Gary wore a very smart navy suit and it was really strange that her dad was now married. No longer single, or depressed about being single. He was happily married and in love. Cindy had never felt better these past few months. Her headaches were getting less frequent and of course the occasional nausea would sweep over her, but she was so happily recently that she didn't even know. Her dad was happy. Wesley was happy. Osman was happy. And she was happy. And nothing, not anything, could get in the way of that.

They sat in the bench of Ohio Park. A different park to the one they'd attended on New Years. This one was a lot bigger and it was like walking along a small beach town. It was a beautiful sunny day and so Cindy and Osman found them-selves playing chess on one of the many benches scattered in the gardens. They had just ordered from Taco Bell, Cindy with a cheese roll-up and Osman with a Nacho Belgrade and a platter of chips. Cindy didn't know how to play chess until Osman taught her on Black Friday. Cindy had just come back from sale shopping and was really stressed. As something therapeutic, Osman taught her how to play chess. She didn't think she'd like it, but she found herself so calm when she was absorbed into it. As stupid as it sounded to her, it was Cindy's escape from all her problems. Whilst most teenagers would party or smoke or whatever, she found herself relaxing at the sound of Lana Del Ray playing on Osman's mix CD whilst she moved her queen to knock off his knight. "Didn't know you were a Lana fan" Cindy smirked.

Osman shrugged. "She's brilliant. Let me guess, you thought I was some die hard Bollywood fan?"

"No. But Balkan music is pretty cool."

Osman laughed. "Isn't that Russian? Anyway, let me quiz you on music. I want to quiz you on music."

Cindy nodded. "Sure. But let me ask you something first…Imagine Dragons or You me at Six?"

"Imagine Dragons!"

Cindy high-fived his hand so hard she was almost sure she heard his wrist snap. "Ok, now that I know, you can carry on."

"Opinions on Lorde?"

"She's 17 and won a Grammy. I'm nearing 17 and I'm anxiety-ridden."

Osman laughed. "But you graduated, so shut up. How about…Justin Bieber?"

Cindy shrugged. "Not a fan. But he seems cool."

"Ok, let's go off the scale here. Black Sabbath?"

"Nah. No space in my heart for any band but the Beatles." Cindy loved the Beatles. Sure they may not be 'cool' anymore, but a lot of their music got her through hard times. She remembers lying on bed after New Years, her parents still hung over. Her earphones were in, and she was ready to ignore the world. She felt shitty, and hearing 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' play made her feel like she wasn't so lonely anymore, like Eric hadn't just found a 'better' girl, or her parents weren't too busy being drunk, or Osman wasn't with her to comfort her. It's almost as if they were there to hold her hand for her, when no one else was. Not just that, but their music is so frickin' awesome. And just thinking about it made her head want to explode. It was either that, or she felt one of her ugly migraines coming on.

"You ok?" Osman asked.

Cindy nodded slowly. "Just a headache. Voldemort must be near…"

This was Osman's queue to laugh, but he could clearly see this was not the time. She had lost all the colour in her face, and she dazedly walked over away from the bench, her hands on her knees trying to regain her breath. Osman walked slowly after her, but she swatted her hand at him to sit back down. "Cindy, you're not feeling well…"

"I'm ok" she whispered. And then it happened again. She collapsed on the floor. She slowly opened her eyes after a few minutes, gradually regaining consciousness. Everything felt fine again. Her headache had disappeared, and the colour was coming back to her face. But she could still feel something inside of her stir. She pushed Osman aside, whose head was hovering above hers, his face too stunned to do anything useful. She threw up on the grass where Osman knelt. As she was on the ground gasping for breaths, Osman took his phone out in panic and quickly dialled what Cindy assumed was an ambulance. She jumped up and snatched it off him, kneeling to get her breath back. It seems he was the only one who noticed Cindy's mishap, because everybody was carrying about their business. Kids just being kids really. "Cindy, give me back my phone" he demanded.

"You're not calling an ambulance."

"I wasn't going to call an ambulance!" he shot back angrily. "I was going to call your dad!" She looked at the contacts on his phone and deleted her home number. "What are you doing?" he asked in annoyance, trying to snatch his phone back. Cindy pushed him away. "Give it back Cindy." His tone was low and challenging. He jumped for it again.

"Don't touch me" she said coldly.

"Then give me back my phone!" She shook her head. He scoffed, narrowing his eyes at her in disgust. "You're sick, you know that?"

"Is that supposed to be punny?"

"Oh shut up Cindy! You could be dying and you'd still claim it's nothing! Joking about it like the twisted person you are. Is it the attention you crave? The sympathy?" he sneered. He had crossed the line. Because even though Cindy was at a weak point, she stood up straight with a death glare on her face. She had no idea where this rush of energy had come from. She strode to him and jabbed a finger at his chest. Their faces were inches apart now. And if Osman was being honest with himself, she looked absolutely terrifying. He had never seen her angry, just annoyed, or sad, or even happy. But never like this. "Shut up Osman" she spat. "You know nothing."

He mustered his courage. "Pretty sure I know what this is."

Cindy laughed psychotically. "Oh yeah. Of course you'd know what a sympathy craver is. Not talking for months because of the sad little problems in your life. I bet you enjoyed it when I was practically begging for you to speak. So weak, Osman. So weak to let pathetic people drive you to the ground and give them the satisfaction of proving to them you're just another pitiful loser. Another nothing that they had succeeded in picking on."

The fury in Osman was building. One more thing and he was going to snap. "You don't mean it" he whispered, his voice shaking. "You're just angry."

"Just angry? Ok Osman. If it makes you feel better about yourself. If it assures you may not be completely useless, then fine. I'm just angry." And that was it. The line had been crossed. He ran faster than he ever did in PE and tackled Cindy to the ground. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?" she shouted. She struggled to push him off. He was now on top of her, pinning her arms to the ground.

"You take that back" he said. His tone sounded challenging.

"No. Get the fuck off me."

"Admit you didn't mean that and I'll get off!"

"I MEANT IT ALL!" she yelled.

"NO YOU DIDN'T!"

"YES I DID!"

"WHAT? FAMOUS LAST WORDS BEFORE YOU DIE, HUH?" And that's when Cindy felt the world around her freeze. Her eyes widened with fear, becoming watery. Osman hung his head in shame, slowly getting off her. Cindy got up after him, looking at the ground. "I'm sorry" he said quietly, barely audible. "I didn't mean that."

"I know. I'm sorry. I pushed you. I shouldn't have said that stuff."

"How long have you known?" he asked, still too ashamed to look at her.

"I don't know. I've suspected. But I haven't been diagnosed yet."

He looked at her with an unreadable expression. "I-"

"Osman" she interrupted flatly. "Before you yell at me, we need to sit down and really talk this through. Because I think you'll understand if I told you. So just sit down. I'll explain it to you, and you can ask me ridiculous questions afterwards."

They made their way back to the bench. They sat in silence for a few moments, both of them trying to get their breaths back before Osman broke the silence by asking her why she didn't go to the doctors if she suspected it was a tumour. Cindy let out a defeated sigh. She immediately started to regret telling Osman that she was going to confess all. She hated talking about her feelings because frankly she just wasn't good at that. And she felt way too tired and weak for this. "Why do you think it's so easy to just go to the doctors to get diagnosed for a terminal illness?"

"Well, personally, the suspense gets me."

Cindy let out a cold laugh. "Osman, I know it's a tumour. I've known for a long time. When I've been getting headaches and migraines or when I've been feeling sick and dizzy. I've known that this is just more than some infection or virus I've caught." She paused for a while taking deep breaths and to properly register these feeling herself. Then she continued. "I'm scared. So scared. And afraid. Afraid of admitting there's something wrong with me. Afraid of sitting in front of the doctor and hearing him tell me what my fate is. I'm afraid of hearing I'm a ticking time bomb." Osman looked at her with a sheepishly guilty expression. "I remember this conversation I had with my dad a while back. About coming out a fighter. To be challenged, not to be the challenger. Becoming victorious and feeling triumphant. I fight to win. I'm all up for challenges. But not when my life is on the line. This is not a challenge. This is reality. And with reality, you're fighting a losing battle."

"You don't know that Cindy! It's only been a few months! It's still early. You can get treatment and you'll be ok!"

Cindy shook her head at him as if he was some naïve child. "Osman, don't you get it? I'm a coward. It's not about cures and treatments! Death is inevitable. But I have a limit on my life. Pressure on how I should live. Because if I don't do it that way, I'm going to hate myself. I'm more afraid of living than dying. I'm a coward." Osman looked at her, his eyes wide and clouded with sadness. "I'm afraid of living properly." She took a deep breath; feeling like the world had just been lifted off her shoulders. Telling someone, telling _Osman_, felt unbelievably good. She didn't have to worry about pushing Osman away, because now he knew what she felt and what she was going through. He was someone she could come to without him bringing up the subject if he knew she didn't want him to.

"Does your dad know?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head, sadness creeping upon her. "I can't bring myself to mention it. He's so happy. He doesn't need me ruining that. Especially when he hasn't felt it in so long." Osman nodded consolingly, staying quiet and waiting for Cindy to carry on. He understood that her intentions were good. He knew she couldn't live with herself if she spoilt her dad's happiness. "I've tried so hard" she continued in a murmur. "To bring myself to go to the doctors and face it like a man. But I just can't." Minutes of silence passed by now. And Osman finally spoke. "When things go down, the only way to look is up." He stroked her hands very gently. "I'm here for you. Anytime, anyplace. Anything you want me to do or need, I'll do my best to fulfil that." Cindy smiled sadly at his comforting words.

"No. No, I can't live like this anymore. No more living in fear. I'm going to go to the doctors."

Osman responded to that with a great big smile on his face. "Call me when you get that appointment booked."

Cindy met Osman at the car park of the clinic. She had seen her doctor, who had referred her to the clinic after taking scans of her brain. She felt ridiculous and nervous and scared and too many things all at once. And she looked it too. She wore her oversized white t-shirt with cropped grey joggers that exposed half her calves. She wore oil-slicked platform trainers with colourful unicorn socks. Really, what was she? Her hair was in a massy plait, but it looked tasteful, and was the only thing that looked right about her today. She didn't want to wear make-up, but she was too grossed out by her skin. She had reddish-brownish bags under her eyes and her skin had gone a sickly yellow colour. She didn't think it was possible for her to look uglier. In the end, she decided to blame it on her anxiety. She wore more make-up then she usually would, but she felt more confident with it on. This made her slightly sad. She'd never given a shit before about how she looked. Ugly and proud was the motto she lived by. But as the days passed by, she grew more anxious about how she looked. And she hated it. Because confidence was the one thing she had. Aside from when she had to talk to strangers. Because she hated every bit of apprehension that crawled upon her. She slapped on some red lipstick to pull this awful mess of a look together, and now she was with Osman at the car park.

"You look…clothed" he said with hesitation.

Cindy smiled. And it was genuine. Which made her feel happy. "So how long were you waiting?"

"About 2 minutes."

Cindy looked at the ground and gulped, swallowing whatever worry she had left. Osman grabbed her hand and she looked up, straight into his eyes. "You'll be okay Cindy. You're so strong. You can get through anything. I know you. You got through Grown Ups 2. You can get through this."

And for the first time in what seemed like a decade, Cindy laughed. So genuinely, and with life. "I love you. Not your looks, not your money. Just because you're you. It's cheesy and embarrassing, but I love the way you bring sunshine on a rainy day; the way you're always there for me when I feel my lowest. You're not just a best friend. You're my soul mate."

Osman smiled at her. "Wow. A mind reader as well as all those things. You're brilliant." He tightened his grip on her hand. "You ready?"

Cindy looked him straight in the eye, just so he knew she wasn't lying, because she wasn't. Of course dread was filling inside her, but she felt a lot more confident when she was around Osman. She had hoped for the best but prepared herself for the worst. "I'm ready."

They were finally called in after 20 minutes of waiting anxiously. Without realizing it, they were holding hands the whole time. It didn't feel weird, or vulgar, or out of place, but safe and secure.

Cindy felt like she could get through this just knowing Osman was by her side to help her. They entered a relatively large room equipped with many diagrams of the human body and bi-sectional models of anatomy. Cindy felt so overwhelmed she felt she might explode there and then with emotion.

They sat on the other side of the large desk across a slender man who had white hair. Dr Ogel was his name, and he was one of those people who was born a kind, friendly face. And immediately Cindy felt calmer. She didn't think she could deal with a Hitler. Osman's grip on Cindy's hand loosened a bit. "Hello Cindy" he spoke very softly. "And you must be?" he asked, turning towards Osman and raising his bushy eyebrows.

"Osman" Osman finished.

"Hello Osman. Are you a relative or a friend?"

"A friend."

"Ok. I take it you're here to support her?" He smiled sweetly. Osman nodded. "Ok. Now Cindy, before we carry on, it is only procedure that I ask a few questions just to make you are who you say you are."

Cindy looked at him bewildered. "Why would I lie about having cancer?"

"We must check you're the right person. You'd be surprised how many people just walk into the wrong appointment."

Cindy gulped, and Osman's grip on her hand tightened. She swore he felt more nervous than she did. "So, you are Cindy Alexis Walker." Cindy blushed at her middle name. She didn't like it much, but it was still better than Cindy. "Daughter of Gareth and Evelyn Walker, who I believe to have now divorced, and your father is remarried?" Cindy nodded faintly. She was rather disturbed by just how much they needed to know. "You graduated Peebles High School at 16, and you're turning 17 on the 12th of December this year?" Cindy nodded, blushing more at the look he gave her when he read that she had graduated a year earlier. "Ok, now a few questions about your physical and mental state." He straightened his papers before carefully placing them in his drawers and taking out a big yellow folder which had 'confidential' stamped in red ink across it in capitals. "So, you have no allergies?"

"Nope. Well, I had some sort of reaction to something during summer. But that was when I was young. It hasn't happened since."

He nodded. "Ok. It is listed here that you suffer from Claustrophobia? Although apparently you haven't had a panic attack since February of last year?" Cindy nodded a yes. A part of her wanted him to keep asking questions until her time was up, and she had to fake an apology and book another appointment. But a massive part of her had the urge to slap him silly, to tell him to shut the hell up and get straight to the point.

"Ok" he murmured quietly. He scanned through the papers while asking "you've definitely explained all of your symptoms to your doctor, who is Dr Merschkel?"

"Yeah. She referred me here."

Osman squeezed her hand tighter, if that was possible. He looked at her and gave her a faint smile before absorbing their surroundings. Just the fact he was here with her kept her at bay from exploding with frustration. His hand on hers was his way of telling her everything is going to be damn well fine. And for some insanely stupid reason, Bob Marley's 'Three Little Birds' began to play in her head.

"Could you explain your symptoms to me again?"

Just the fact she had to go through the horror of this again made her want to throw up in his face. "Well, since New Years, I've been getting really bad headaches. Well, they range from minor headache to agonizing migraine. Most of the time I feel really nauseated and dizzy, and I just want to sit down and forget I even exist because the pain gets to me sometimes, you know? I've only thrown up once though. And I've also got glasses. But they're rubbish." Osman looked at her in bewilderment at this. She kept staring at Dr Ogel. She didn't really need this right now.

He took his square spectacles off, cleaning them with his shirt then putting them back on, eyes scanning the folder again. "Right, and so you haven't had any seizures or fits since you've felt this?"

"Well I collapsed twice."

"That's not in the record Miss Walker."

Cindy looked down, gulping loudly. "Yeah, I um, didn't want to go to the hospital. Only because I felt completely fine afterwards."

He looked at her before nodding consolingly. Then he took the scans out. The scans Dr Merschkel took of her brains to send to the GP. And immediately, Cindy felt her heart beat ten times faster than it normally should.

"Well, we have good news and we have bad news Miss Walker." He studied them above his glasses before carrying on. "From your scans, we can identify a very small tumour forming." Cindy felt her heart sink, a tight knot in her stomach formed and she had to keep swallowing the lumps forming in her throat. No matter how much she had prepared, the news had hit her. And it hit her hard. Because the worst thing is, she still had hope. After the collapse, after the glasses, after booking the appointment over the phone, she still hoped that it was just stress or something ridiculous. And even now, a very faint light at the end of a very dark tunnel still lit. It was dim, but it was still there. Cindy would just not give up on hope. "It takes time for the new to sink in, Miss Walker, which is why we shall not be discussing this further in today's appointment." Cindy tried very hard not to shed a tear, but she let a silent one escape to stroll down her cheek. Osman wiped her tear with his thumb, trying very hard not to cry himself. "Not the tumour is not forming in the brain, but in the meninges, the protective membranes around the brain and the spinal cord." He pointed at where the skull started, but Cindy wasn't looking. Her mind was drifting elsewhere, her eyes too fuzzy to see anything due to the tears. "In this case, the tumour is in the tissues beneath the skull." Now the tears were coming out. Cindy didn't have the strength or the energy to hold them in. She didn't _want _to hold them in. All this pent up emotion and anger was building up inside of her and she knew it would lead to this. Osman, on the other hand, had a very stern expression on his face. He clenched his jaw, as well as working all the other muscles in his face tirelessly to keep the tears under control.

"Now the pressure the tumour is building due to there being only enough space for the brain is the reason you've felt like this for the past year. Of course, this still is only early development, and so it is possible that we can look at a selection of different treatments to reduce the tumour and possibly even remove it."

Cindy's eyes widened by a fraction. "Treatment?"

Dr Ogel nodded. "But our appointment ends here Cindy. Clearly you are not in the right frame of mind to talk such things through. You need to get your head straight." He scribbled on a pink slip, to which she was supposed to hand it at the reception desk so they could make another appointment. "Counselling and other psychological treatment will be considered too." Cindy wanted to protest to this, but her mind was too blank to process anything in. His words just flew above her head. Now she really needed to be alone. She stood up and thanked him before quickly walking out, standing in the car park alone. A minute later, Osman caught up, stroking her back. And that's when she burst into tears. She tried to choke on a sob but couldn't. Osman spun her around and wrapped his arms around her tightly, Cindy burying her head in his shoulder. She nuzzled her face deeper into his neck (presumably to wipe her nose on his jumper) before pulling back and staring at the ground. She took her phone out and looked at her reflection in sadness. Her mascara trailed all the way down to her cheeks. She looked like a racoon in a water park. Her red lipstick was smudged everywhere but her mouth, and she started to regret her outburst in front of Osman and the doctor. "Should've worn waterproof" she muttered quietly, taking a tissue out of her pocket and wiping any excess mascara. Osman let out a long breath. "Cindy" he whispered.

"You know, I'm kinda hungry-let's go to Taco Bell" she said, trying to sound casual, but sounding weak and shaky with every bit of emotion you can think of.

"Cindy…" he trailed off, looking at her as if she was lost.

She threw her tissue to the ground. "How about bowling? We've never been bowling before!" she cried hysterically.

"Cindy" he spoke with assertiveness. Cindy just stared straight at him, fearing what he might have to say.

"Are you scared? Or not ready? Because there's a difference."

She scrunched her face in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Look, to be honest with you, I don't have the words to make you feel better, but I do have the arms to give you a hug, ears to listen to whatever you want to talk about, and I have a heart, a heart that's aching to see you smile again." Cindy looked at him like she was about to burst into sweet little tears of joy, but before she could, Osman grabbed her arm and carefully let her towards the bus stop just outside of the gates of the car park. "I've got a little surprise for you."

They hopped off the bus and onto the deserted road. They now stood outside a café called 'Rockies'. Osman scanned their surroundings before spotting the orange minibus parked a few feet away from them. "Osman what the hell are you doing?" she asked in frustration, Osman dragging her to the minibus. He just stayed quiet.

They jumped off the minibus, Osman with a grin plastered on his face and Cindy looking unimpressed. Throughout the journey she had demanded to know where the hell Osman was taking her, but he refused to answer, instead silencing her with a bag of Cheetos. He knew she had a weakness for Cheetos. Damn Osman and his knowledge of how to shut Cindy up.

"Will you tell me why we're here?" she asked tirelessly.

"Welcome to extreme bungee jumping!" he exclaimed with open arms. The group of 20 other people who had booked this were now off the minibus, huddling together outside the centre.

"What the hell?!" she cried, throwing her arms in the air.

"Hey. Don't think I don't know about your fear of heights. You need to get over it. We start living properly before…" he stopped to look at Cindy, choosing his words carefully. "…before time runs out." Cindy looked much displeased.

Osman was pulling up his orange overalls while Cindy was fastening the hiking boots they gave her. With the rest of the group, they looked like they had just come out of prison and were ready to take part in community service chores. Both were now fastening their harnesses tightly ready for their jump in a few minutes. Cindy decided to break the silence that was amidst them. "So, why did you book this in advance? Are you psychic or something?" You could hear the irritation in her voice.

"No. I figured if it was negative, we could come here to celebrate. And if it was positive, well, you get the jist."

"Why did you book it so late?"

He answered with hesitation. "Because we're going to be jumping off a cliff. We're birds being set free out of our cages. No better time to do that then now. I wasn't going to wait 'til the morning. It has a really beautiful view, especially during sunset. We might even go into the night. Perfect to just gaze at the stars."

Cindy stared at him with wide eyes, a smile slowly creeping upon her face. No one had ever put that much thought into doing something for her. The exception being her dad on her 16th birthday. She ran and jumped on him, wrapping her arms and legs around him tightly while he stumbled back trying very hard to regain his balance. "I don't care if the Taliban shoot me. I love you. You're the bestest friend ever."

Unaware that they were in a room with 20 people, Cindy babbled on about how sweet and thoughtful this was; the crowd aweing at them.

Osman narrowed his eyes at them. "This is sweet and everything" he muffled. "But I kinda can't breathe."

She let go off him loosely, eventually getting off him. She threw herself on the bench and sighed dreamily. She was soon snapped out of her trance when her name (along with Osman's) was called through the speaker.

They were stood on the edge of the cliff, the sea sparkling below them. Sunset was due now and the sky was beginning to turn a beautiful pinky-orange colour. The bungee cord was strapped tightly to their harnesses now, and it was miraculous that Cindy could still breathe. They had helmets on with a little camera attached to an antenna that dangled above them. Creating memories. Cindy's heart was pounding and she wasn't sure if she could go through with this. But Osman's gentle touch re-assured her, and now, she felt rather excited. She was going to jump of a cliff; who wouldn't be excited?! "Thank you" she said quietly. So quietly it took Osman a minute to process what she could've said to him.

Osman looked at her. "I knew you'd like it."

Cindy looked at the sea below them, which was iridescent under the setting sun. "It's weird because I'm totally ready for this."

"Hey" he said re-assuringly. "It's me and you against the world, ok?" Instructions were being called out behind them, but Cindy just stared at Osman with awe and respect. A look of happiness and complete content gleamed in her eyes. It was just bungee jumping, but she was ready for this more than anything. And somehow, she felt indestructible. They counted down from 10, Cindy inter-twining her fingers with Osman's. "You jump, I jump, right?" he whispered. Cindy smiled, and together, they jumped into a world of freedom and endless possibilities that awaited them.

FIN


End file.
